LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

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SANTA    CRUZ 


m<*- 


REVOLUTIONARY  CHARACTERS 
OF  NEW  HAVEN 

THE  SUBJECT  OF 

ADDRESSES  AND  PAPERS 

DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE 

General  David  Humphreys  Branch.  No.  i 


A  limited  edition  has  been  published,  and 
copies  may  be  had  for  two  dollars  per  volume, 
postage  paid,  by  remitting  that  amount  to 

SEYMOUR  C.  LOOMIS, 

Chairman  Publication  Committee, 
69  Church  Street, 

New  Haven,  Conn. 


AND 


Catalogue  of  the  Officers  and  Members  of 

Gen.  David  Humphreys  Branch 

Since  its  Organization 


NEW  HAVEN,  CONN. 

Published  by  the 
General  David  Humphreys  Branch,  No.  i 

Connecticut  Society 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution 


REVOLUTIONARY  CHARACTERS 
-.  OF  NEW  HAVEN 

THE  SUBJECT  OF 

ADDRESSES  AND  PAPERS 

DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE 

General  David  Humphreys  Branch,  No.  i 

Connecticut  Society 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution 

ALSO 

List  of  Men  so  far  as  they  are  Known  from  the  Territory 
Embraced  in  the  Town  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  who 
Served  in  the  Continental  Army  and  Militia  and  on  Continental 
and  State  Vessels  and  Privateers,  and  those  who  Rendered 
other  Patriotic  Services  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and 
a  Record  of  Known  Casualties;  together  with  the  Location 
of  Known  Graves  in  and  about  New  Haven  of  Patriots  of 


1775-1783 


AND 


Catalogue  of  the  Officers  and  Members  of 

Gen.  David  Humphreys  Branch 

Since  its  Organization 


NEW  HAVEN,  CONN. 

Published  by  the 
General  David  Humphreys  Branch,  No.  i 

Connecticut  Society 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution 


COPYRIGHT  1911 

BY    THE 

GENERAL  DAVID  HUMPHREYS  BRANCH,  No.  i 

OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  SOCIETY 
SONS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION 


PRESS  OF 

THE  PRICE,  LEE  &  ADKINS  Co.. 
NEW  HAVEN,  CONN. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

BY  VOTE    OF  THE  GENERAL  DAVID    HUMPHREYS    BRANCH, 

NUMBER  ONE,  CONNECTICUT  SOCIETY,  SONS  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
REVOLUTION,  PASSED  FEBRUARY  FIRST,  NINETEEN  HUNDRED 

AND   TEN,    THIS    VOLUME    WAS    AUTHORIZED.       ARRANGED   AND 

EDITED  BY  A  SPECIAL  COMMITTEE  ON  PUBLICATION  APPOINTED 
FOR  THAT  PURPOSE. 

SEYMOUR  C.  LOOMIS,  Ex-Officio, 
GEORGE  F.  BURGESS, 
GEORGE  H.  FORD, 
EARNEST  C.  SIMPSON, 
WILLIAM  S.  WELLS. 

May,  1911. 


v 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

JAMES  HILLHOUSE 7 

SERVICES  IN  HONOR  OF  EZRA   STILES 17 

EZRA   STILES 19 

THE  DEFENSE  OF  NEW  HAVEN 31 

DAVID  WOOSTER 39 

COL.  JOHN  TRUMBULL,  THE  PATRIOT  AND  ARTIST 47 

NOAH  WEBSTER 55 

GEN.  DAVID  HUMPHREYS 59 

THE  EARLY  CAREER  OF  BENEDICT  ARNOLD 73 

BUNKER  HILL  DAY 91 

LIST  OF   MEN   FROM   NEW    HAVEN    KNOWN   TO   HAVE    SERVED 

THE  REVOLUTION  CAUSE 97 

KNOWN  CASUALTIES 112 

KNOWN  PRISONERS 114 

LOCATION  OF  KNOWN  GRAVES,   IN   AND   ABOUT   NEW   HAVEN, 

OF  SOLDIERS  AND  PATRIOTS 115 

LIST  OF  OFFICERS  AND  MEMBERS  OF  THE   GEN.   DAVID   HUM- 
PHREYS BRANCH  SINCE  ITS  ORGANIZATION 119 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

HON.  JAMES  HILLHOUSE 7 

EZRA  STILES,  LL.D 17 

NEW  HAVEN  GREEN  IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD 31 

SKETCH  OF  THE  INVASION  OF  NEW  HAVEN,  JULY  STH,  1779, 

DRAWN  BY  PRESIDENT  STILES 33 

MAJOR-GEN.  DAVID  WOOSTER 39 

THE  GEN;  DAVID  WOOSTER  HOUSE 43 

COL.  JOHN  TRUMBULL 47 

THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE,  JULY  4TH,  1776 51 

THE  NOAH  WEBSTER  HOUSE 55 

AUTOGRAPHIC  LETTER  OF  GEN.  WASHINGTON,  INTRODUCING 

COL.     HUMPHREYS     TO     BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN,    UNITED 

STATES  MINISTER  TO  FRANCE,  DATED  JUNE  2,  1784....  65 

THE  BENEDICT  ARNOLD  HOUSE 73 

THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  WARREN  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF 

BUNKER  HILL 91 


HON.  JAMES  HILLHOUSE. 


JAMES  H1LLHOUSE 


BY  GEORGE  HARE  FORD. 


Address  delivered  before  the  Gen.  David  Humphreys  Branch,  Connecticut  Society. 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  1902. 


James  Hillhouse  was  descended  from  an  ancient  and 
noble  family  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  near  Londonderry, 
where  their  estates  250  years  ago  were  large  and  important 
and  various  members  of  the  family  were  distinguished 
by  having  received  degrees  from  the  famous  University 
of  Glasglow  in  Scotland.  The  Hillhouse  name  appears 
among  the  signatures  of  an  address  to  William  and  Mary, 
and  one  of  the  family  was  Mayor  of  Londonderry. 

The  original  American  Hillhouse,  Reverend  James, 
came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  New  Hampshire  in  1719; 
afterwards  at  Montville  (meaning  Hillhouse)  between  New 
London  and  Norwich.  Cotton  Mather  refers  to  him  as, 
"The  hopeful  young  minister  lately  arrived  in  America." 
His  son,  James  Abraham,  the  foster  father  of  the  subject  of 
our  sketch,  graduated  from  Yale  in  1749,  and  became  a  dis- 
tinguished lawyer  in  New  Haven.  He  built  and  resided 
in  the  large  and  stately  old  mansion,  now  known  as  Grove 
Hall. 

Having  no  children,  and  his  brother  William  (the 
father  of  our  James)  having  many  sons,  James  was  adopted 
by  his  Uncle,  and  at  the  age  of  seven  was  installed  in  the 
old  big  but  childless  home,  corner  of  Whitney  Avenue  and 
Grove  Street,  where  he  resided  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
He  inherited  his  Uncle's  or  foster  father's  fortune  and  the 
Aunt's  property.  The  combined  real  estate  he  thus  acquired 
covers  a  large  section  beyond  Grove  Street  towards  Whit- 
neyville,  including  Prospect  Hill,  an  extensive  part  of  which 
is  now  owned  by  Yale  University. 


8  James  Hillhouse 

The  father,  William,  was  a  striking  character  in  the 
Connecticut  Legislature,  where  he  served  during  one  hun- 
dred and  six  semi-annual  sessions.  The  picturesque  descrip- 
tion of  the  man  as  left  by  his  grandson,  James  A.  Hill- 
house,  the  poet  (son  of  James),  who  resided  in  the  Hill- 
house  mansion  in  Sachem's  Woods,  is  as  follows : 

"Venerable  image  of  the  olden  days,  stupendous  shoe  buckles, 
long  gold  headed  cane  kept  only  for  great  occasions,  conspicuous 
watch  fob ;  high  and  classical  forehead,  heavy  eyebrows,  lifted  only 
long  enough  to  express  an  opinion  and  then  relapsing.  As  the  oldest 
man  on  the  Governor's  Council,  he  sat  at  his  right.  At  his  leave  tak- 
ing and  retirement  at  80  years  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  among  the 
Council  Board.  At  this  advanced  age  it  was  his  custom  to  journey 
to  and  from  Hartford  on  horseback;  and  he  was  Major  of  the  second 
regiment  of  Cavalry.  On  Christmas  Day  it  was  his  custom  to  roast 
an  ox  and  distribute  it  to  the  needy.  Applications  were  received  with 
care  and  discretion,  the  individual  representing  then  what  our  '  Board 
of  Charities'  on  a  more  extended  scale  stands  for  to-day." 

Young  James  was  in  Hopkins  Grammar  School  in  1771 
with  Roger  Sherman  and  David  Wooster.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  advocating  and  encouraging  a  movement  toward 
the  formation  of  the  city  of  New  Haven  which  culminated 
in  1784.  He  was  a  student  in  Yale  in  1773.  President 
Dwight,  father  of  the  President  Dwight  of  our  day,  then  a 
tutor,  saw  in  him  the  elements  of  his  after  greatness,  took 
great  interest  in  the  stripling,  and  it  is  said  that  Hillhouse 
referred  in  after  life  with  great  emotion  to  President  Dwight 
as  his  great  benefactor.  While  in  college  his  name  appears 
with  that  of  Nathan  Hale  as  one  of  the  actors  in  the 
Linonian  Society  plays. 

The  uncle  and  foster  father  died  in  1775.  Anticipating 
the  ambitions  of  his  foster  son  and  nephew,  he  forbade  him 
to  leave  his  studies  and  embrace  the  cause  of  the  Continen- 
tal Army,  which  at  that  time  was  engaging  the  attention  of 
many  of  the  young  men.  They  afterwards  became  famous 
in  the  contest  following. 

Upon  the  records  of  the  first  meeting  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Second  Company  of  Governor's  Foot  Guard  in 
1774,  as  well  as  upon  the  application  of  the  State  Legisla- 


James  Hillhouse  9 

ture  for  a  charter,  the  following  winter,  appears  the  name  of 
James  Hillhouse.  There  was  a  division  of  opinion  in  those 
days,  on  the  political  situation,  and  when  a  few  months 
later  the  news  of  the  Lexington  alarm  reached  New  Haven, 
and  this  company,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  under  Bene- 
dict Arnold,  applied  for  permission  to  march  to  Cambridge, 
the  authorities  opposed  it  and  refused  not  only  the  applica- 
tion but  ammunition.  Arnold  and  his  command,  however, 
took  the  keys,  secured  the  ammunition  and  marched  to  Lex- 
ington under  the  name  of  the  New  Haven  Cadets.  Not  being 
permitted  to  use  the  charter  name,  three  weeks  afterward  all 
but  twenty  returned  to  New  Haven.  Arnold  remained, 
receiving  an  appointment  to  another  command  in  the  army. 

Hillhouse  was  entrusted  by  Governor  Trumbull  to  pro- 
mote the  enlistment  of  a  Brigade  in  "A  stirring  appeal," 
"to  all  friends  of  American  freemen,  urging  them  to  go 
forward  without  hire  or  reward  and  never  lay  down  their 
arms  until  they  have  driven  every  invader  from  the  land." 

The  year  1779  found  him  the  third  commander  of  the 
Second  Company  of  Governor's  Foot  Guard;  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th  of  July  when  the  British  landed  on  our 
shore,  summoning  his  own  men  and  such  volunteers  as  had 
presented  themselves,  including  a  body  of  students  with 
President  Daggett  of  Yale  at  their  head,  he  marched  his 
command  across  the  causeway  and  meadows  at  the  West 
River  Bridge  and  attacked  the  advance  guard  of  the  Eng- 
lish Army.  It  was  in  this  engagement  that  Adjutant  Camp- 
bell was  shot  and  killed,  on  Milford  Hill,  by  a  soldier 
named  Johnson,  in  Hillhouse's  command. 

The  records,  plans  or  map  of  that  campaign  show  Hill- 
house  and  his  band  of  1 50  followers  as  resisting  an  army  of 
1,500  men  under  Gen.  Tyron,  and  in  close  contact  with  the 
enemy,  delaying  them  for  hours,  and  enabling  the  citizens  of 
the  town  to  remove  and  secrete  much  of  their  valuable 
property  and  prepare  for  further  resistance.  Gen.  Garth 
with  his  forces  having  entered  the  city  from  the  east  side, 
Madame  Hillhouse,  who  was  known  as  an  adherent  of  the 


io  James  Hillhouse 

King  and  Church  of  England,  by  extending  hospitality  to 
the  British  officers,  preserved  the  Hillhouse  home  from 
destruction ;  but  when  they  discovered  that  her  adopted  son 
and  nephew  was  leading  the  resistance  on  the  other  side  of 
the  town,  the  situation  for  her  was  most  perilous.  She  ad- 
mitted the  fact,  however,  but  assured  them  that  the  house 
and  property  were  hers  and  that  she  could  not  control  the 
impetuosity  and  ardor  of  the  young  man. 

It  may  be  interesting  here  to  note  that  Aaron  Burr  on 
the  5th  and  6th  of  July  while  visiting  in  New  Haven,  or- 
ganized and  commanded,  temporarily,  a  body  of  men  that 
assisted  in  the  resistance. 

The  courageous  act  of  Captain  Hillhouse  in  leading  the 
young  men  of  New  Haven  in  defence  of  their  homes  con- 
firmed their  confidence  in  his  ability  and  increased  admira- 
tion of  his  character,  and  the  following  year  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Legislature  and  re-elected  until  called  to  a  seat 
in  the  Council  of  the  Governor,  and  the  next  year  there- 
after, at  the  age  of  32,  he  was  elected  to  the  second  Congress 
of  the  United  States. 

He  was  re-elected  to  the  third  and  fourth  Congress; 
then  chosen  to  complete  the  unexpired  term  of  Oliver  Ells- 
worth, who  had  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate  for  the 
Chief-Justiceship  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  and  was  returned  to  the  Senate  for  the  second,  third 
and  fourth  time,  making  a  continuous  service  of  nearly  20 
years  in  Congress.  Upon  the  election  of  Thomas  Jefferson 
as  President,  he  was  chosen  presiding  officer  of  the 
Senate. 

In  Congress  he  was  called  the  "Sachem"  from  his 
strong  Indian  complexion  and  features,  and  his  favorite 
toast  was:  "Let  us  bury  the  hatchet;"  and  he  was  jok- 
ingly accused  of  always  having  a  hatchet  concealed  under 
his  papers.  From  this  title  of  "Sachem"  was  derived  the 
name  of  Sachem  Street  and  Sachem's  Woods,  which  cross 
and  finish  that  beautiful  avenue,  Hillhouse  Avenue,  the  pride 
of  our  city,  which  is  crowned  with  the  dignified  Hillhouse 


James  Hillhouse  n 

mansion  (where  the  latter  days  of  Hillhouse  were 
spent),  and  at  the  foot  of  which  stands  our  master 
piece  of  simple  and  refined  art,  The  New  Haven  His- 
torical Society  Edifice  (the  gift  of  Henry  F.  English), 
so  appropriately  set  on  the  site  of  the  old  Robert  Newman 
barn,  where  was  held  the  first  formal  and  official  gather- 
ing of  the  members  of  the  Davenport-Eaton  colony,  and 
where  the  "fundamental  agreement"  was  discussed, 
adopted  and  signed  in  November,  1638.  This  avenue  was 
laid  out  by  Hillhouse  in  1792,  105  feet  wide  through  the 
Hillhouse  farm ;  afterwards  it  became  as  now  lined  on  either 
side  by  the  homes  of  wealth  and  learning  of  this  collegiate 
city ;  and  with  its  majestic  elms  forming  a  tree  arched  aisle 
of  world-wide  fame.  No  one  contributed  more  than  James 
Hillhouse  to  making  this  the  "City  of  Elms,"  and  he 
originated  that  idea  and  devoted  years  of  his  life  to  bringing 
the  small  trees  from  off  his  farm  between  this  city  and  Meri- 
den,  and  planting  them  in  rows  along  our  streets,  setting 
out  many  of  the  trees  with  his  own  hands,  assisted  by  a  boy 
who  held  the  trees,  or  drove  the  stakes,  while  Hillhouse 
shoveled  in  the  dirt.  That  boy  afterwards  lent  additional 
lustre  to  the  name  of  Yale  College  and  the  "City  of  Elms" : 
he  became  Yale's  President,  Jeremiah  Day ! 

Hillhouse's  first  efforts  in  this  direction,  it  is  said,  were 
directed  to  Temple  Street,  and  when  Senator  Wade  Hamp- 
ton of  South  Carolina  visited  New  Haven,  he  arrived  before 
he  was  anticipated,  and  found  Senator  Hillhouse  working 
the  road  with  well  trained  oxen.  Hampton  was  much 
interested  in  the  work  that  was  in  process  and  spoke  to  the 
negro  Tom,  who  was  driving  the  oxen,  remarking:  "See, 
Tom,  how  those  oxen  work !  They  know  more  than  you  do." 
"Oh,  Mas'r,"  said  the  negro  in  reply,  "Dem  oxen  has  had  a 
Yankee  bringin'  up." 

His  endeavors  in  planting  the  trees  were  discouraged  by 
his  neighbors  and  ridiculed,  as  philanthropic  efforts  of  good 
citizens  frequently  are,  and  frequently  have  been,  one  man 
remarking  to  him:  "Hillhouse,  you  will  never  live  long 


12  James  Hillhouse 

enough  to  see  those  trees  amount  to  anything."  His  reply 
was :  "If  I  don't  someone  else  will."  This  was  characteristic 
of  his  whole  life:  "He  lived  for  others." 

He  had  a  voice  in  getting  names  to  the  new  streets  laid 
out  after  the  defining  of  the  original  nine  squares.  It  was 
always  a  regret  with  him  that  he  did  not  insist  in  carrying 
the  streets  running  east  straight  through  to  Mill  River. 

Through  his  efforts  and  under  his  direction  and  that  of 
his  associate,  Pierpont  Edwards,  the  public  square,  or 
New  Haven  Green  was  leveled  and  enclosed  with  a  fence  at 
a  cost  of  $2,000.00,  which  was  paid  for  by  private  subscrip- 
tion and  without  expense  to  the  City;  and  the  fence, 
although  of  wood,  remained  for  the  first  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  and  then  was  sold  to  the  town  of  Milford  to 
be  utilized  around  their  square.  The  present  fence  was 
erected  in  1846. 

The  inviting  and  encouraging  of  strangers  to  locate  at 
New  Haven  was  not  overlooked;  this  endeavor  corre- 
sponded to  the  work  now  undertaken  by  the  Committee  on 
New  Enterprises  of  the  New  Haven  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, though  the  work  to-day  is  much  wider  in  its 
scope.  As  far  back  as  1784,  immediately  after  the  charter 
of  the  City  was  secured,  at  a  City  Meeting  held  in  the 
Statehouse,  Hillhouse  was  appointed  chairman  of  a  com- 
mittee on  Hospitality,  "To  welcome  and  assist  all  strangers 
coming  to  reside  in  New  Haven,  and  cultivate  their  ac- 
quaintance, so  that  their  residence  may  be  rendered  as  agree- 
able and  eligible  as  possible."  A  few  years  later  he  advo- 
cated the  removal  of  graves  from  the  back  of  Center 
Church,  and  the  purchase  of  the  tract  on  Grove  Street  for  a 
cemetery,  "To  be  laid  out  in  family  lots  with  larger  and 
better  arrangement  for  the  accommodation  of  families ;  and 
by  its  retired  situation  calculated  to  impress  the  mind  with 
the  solemnity  becoming  the  repository  of  the  dead."  Pre- 
vious to  this  time  it  had  been  the  custom  to  bury  the  dead  in 
the  rear  of  the  church  or  the  churchyard.  Mainly  through 
his  efforts  he  interested  thirty  others  and  purchased  the  plot 


James  Hillhouse  13 

on  Grove  Street  and  established  the  Grove  Street  Cemetery, 
the  wisdom  and  judgment  of  which  work  is  recognized  and 
appreciated  by  a  grateful  community  today.  This  is  said  to 
have  been,  the  first  public  cemetery  in  the  world  laid  out  in 
family  lots,  the  Pere  LaChaise  in  Paris  which  was  among 
the  first  of  European  cemeteries  of  this  character  not  being 
opened  until  1804,  or  eight  years  later.  At  that  time,  the 
new  departure  was  an  exceedingly  unpopular  measure  and 
it  was  used  against  him  as  a  weapon  in  political  campaigns 
for  twenty  years  afterward. 

About  1815,  the  New  Haven  Register  took  the  lead  in 
appealing  to  the  people  for  a  Constitutional  Convention.  In 
the  summer  of  1818  the  last  vigorous  effort  was  made  and 
the  Federal  candidate  opposing  the  Register  candidate  was 
James  Hillhouse.  The  fierceness  of  the  opposition  may  be 
discerned  in  a  paragraph  copied  from  one  of  the  papers 
issued  during  the  Campaign  in  which  he  is  referred  to  as 
"A  most  desperate  and  ferocious  prosecutor  of  the  most 
desperate  and  ferocious  deeds.  God  forbid  that  the 
destroyers  of  the  sepulchres  of  our  fathers  should  ever 
receive  the  suffrage  of  our  sons."  How  history  repeats  its- 
self,  for  the  strongest  advocate  for  a  Constitutional  Con- 
vention the  past  few  years  has  been  the  New  Haven 
Register!  And  again  after  a  period  of  over  eighty  years 
its  representative  is  sent  to  a  Constitutional  Convention. 
Yet,  we  can  congratulate  ourselves  that  in  the  twentieth 
century  the  choice  of  Colonel  Osborn  was  practically  a 
unanimous  one,  and  exempt  from  the  usual  unfortunate 
strife  that  attends  the  election  for  a  public  office. 

Hillhouse's  thought  and  foresight  are  explained  in  the 
following  quotation  from  a  speech  of  his  while  in  Congress. 
He  said: 

"  The  office  of  President  is  the  only  one  in  our  government  clothed 
with  such  powers  as  might  endanger  liberty,  and  I  am  not  without 
apprehension,  that  at  some  future  period  they  may  be  exerted  to  over- 
throw the  liberties  of  our  country." 


14  James  Hillhouse 

He  thus  describes  an  election  going  on  at  that  time : 

"  In  whatever  direction  we  turn  our  eyes,  we  behold  the  people 
arranging  themselves  for  the  purpose  of  commencing  the  electioneering 
campaign  for  the  next  President  and  Vice  President.  All  the  passions 
and  feelings  of  the  human  heart  are  brought  into  the  most  active 
operation.  The  electioneering  spirit  finds  its  way  to  every  fireside, 
pervades  our  domestic  circles,  and  threatens  to  destroy  the  enjoyment 
of  social  harmony.  The  candidates  may  have  no  agency  in  the  busi- 
ness. They  may  be  the  involuntary  objects  of  such  competition  with- 
out directing  or  controlling  the  storm.  The  fault  is  in  the  mode  of 
election,  in  settling  people  to  choose  a  King.  The  evil  is  increasing 
and  will  increase  until  it  shall  terminate  in  Civil  War  and  despotism." 

This  declaration  naturally  excited  much  comment.  But 
how  pertinent  the  prophecy  as  we,  who  enter  the  twentieth 
century  find  on  reviewing  his  predictions  and  how  far  they 
have  been  realized. 

Hillhouse  was  called  upon  by  his  fellow  citizens  upon 
all  occasions  of  ceremony  for  some  form  of  public  service. 
He  delivered  an  oration  in  honor  of  General  Lafayette  at  a 
Memorial  service  held  in  1834.  As  early  as  1782,  he  was 
elected  Treasurer  of  Yale  College.  The  college  at  that 
time  being  in  need  of  funds,  his  diplomacy  was  demon- 
strated in  his  suggesting  that  the  Governor  and  Lieuten- 
ant Governor  of  the  State  be  made  members  of  the  Corpora- 
tion of  the  college ;  and  an  appropriation  of  $40,000.00  was 
secured  from  the  State  and  expended  under  his  direction, 
from  time  to  time,  for  new  and  much  needed  buildings.  He 
continued  in  this  office,  uninterrupted,  for  50  years,  until 
his  death  in  1832,  which  long  service  in  itself  was  a  most 
remarkable  record  in  the  history  of  any  one  man  or  any  one 
college. 

The  original  grant  of  Northern  Ohio  to  the  State  of 
Connecticut  known  as  the  Connecticut  Reserve,  including 
the  land  on  which  the  City  of  Cleveland  now  stands, 
amounting  in  all  to  3,300,000  acres,  had  been  sold  to  a  com- 
pany of  capitalists  by  the  State,  the  proceeds  from  the  in- 
terest derived  to  be  applied  to  the  support  of  the  public 
schools,  the  fund  being  known  as  the  first  School  Fund.  In 


James  Hillhouse  15 

1809  the  Fund  seemed  in  danger  of  being  lost  entirely  to  the 
State.  The  Legislature  of  that  year  abolished  the  Board  of 
Managers,  and  turned  to  Hillhouse  as  the  only  man  who 
could  solve  the  difficulty,  creating  for  him  the  office  of 
School  Fund  Commissioner.  To  accept  this  office  he  re- 
signed from  the  United  States  Senate  and  devoted  fifteen 
years  of  his  life  to  this  work,  and  without  litigation  or  ex- 
penses for  counsel  he  restored  the  Fund  to  safety,  increas- 
ing its  value  from  $1,000,000  to  $1,700,000.  To  accom- 
plish this,  it  is  said  that  he  sometimes  travelled  50  to 
75  miles  per  day  in  a  sulky  or  on  horseback  with  his  famous 
horse  "Young  Jim."  Once  followed  by  two  ruffians  at 
night  with  $20,000.00  in  his  possession,  he  went  at  full 
speed  for  30  miles,  saving  the  amount,  but  permanent 
injury  resulted  to  his  faithful  horse.  Every  boy  and  girl  in 
Connecticut  who  enjoys  the  advantages  of  public  school 
education  is  indebted  to  James  Hillhouse  for  saving  and 
preserving  the  School  Fund.  Livermore  in  his  Republic  of 
New  Haven  speaks  of  him  as  the  foremost  citizen  of  his 
day. 

His  pastor,  Rev.  Doctor  Bacon,  describes  him,  as  "Tall, 
long  limbed,  light  in  motion  and  light  in  step;  firm,  he 
seems  like  some  Indian  chief  of  poetry  or  romance,  as 
Massasoit  or  King  Philip  of  our  early  history,  as  fancy  pic- 
tures them."  Dr.  Bacon  refers  to  him  as  the  indefatigable 
nursing  father  of  the  school  fund  of  Connecticut  and 
throughout  a  long  and  eventful  life,  a  beautiful  example  of 
the  public  spirited  citizen."  In  all  his  50  years  of  participa- 
tion in  public  affairs,  there  was  scarcely  an  effort  made  for 
local  improvement  in  which  he  was  not  a  leader  of  the 
movement. 

Hillhouse  was  a  man  untiring  in  his  labors,  hopeful 
under  all  difficulties,  unmoved  by  the  temptations  that  sur- 
round a  public  life;  firm,  intelligent,  thoughtful,  sweet  and 
kindly,  he  proved  courageous  and  patient,  full  of  good,  wise 
and  noble  impulses.  Captain  James  Hillhouse  was  a  man 
the  like  of  whom  does  not  appear  in  every  generation. 


1 6  James  Hillhouse 

His  zeal  and  energy  were  expended  in  efforts  to  benefit 
his  time,  and  that  to  follow.  Always  disinterested  and  free 
from  personal  motives  he  seemed  to  have  no  thought  of 
personal  glory,  financial  or  political.  His  unceasing  ex- 
ertion for  his  town,  his  city  and  his  country  were  the  result 
of  labors  that  knew  no  weariness. 

"But  in  those  hours  when  others  rest, 
Kept  public  cares  upon  his  breast." 

In  December,  1832,  while  engaged  in  reading  his  college 
correspondence  he  arose  and  went  to  his  bedroom,  lying 
down  quietly  on  his  bed ;  shortly  afterwards  his  son  having 
occasion  to  speak  to  him  went  to  his  room,  but  the  old  man 
was  asleep :  quietly  and  gently  the  Angel  of  Death  had 
touched  this  honored  old  man,  who  from  early  youth  to  old 
age  had  been  an  active  laborer  in  every  concerted  effort  to 
advance  New  Haven  to  its  present  proud  position.  It  was 
truly  said  at  his  funeral  "He  aimed  at  the  public  good,  and 
lived  for  his  country." 

The  virtues  of  our  forefathers  do  not  belong  entirely  to 
the  ages  of  the  past,  but  they  are  ours  by  inheritance;  and 
while  the  stage  coach  and  the  flint-lock  are  superseded  and 
any  attempt  to  reinstall  them  would  be  like  efforts  to  call 
back  the  candlelight  and  the  spinning  wheel,  charming  but 
not  practical,  yet  the  patriotism  and  unselfishness  of  these 
notable  men  of  former  days  can  be  admired  and  appreciated 
as  well  in  this  century  as  two  centuries  ago.  Therefore,  do 
we  not  honor  ourselves  as  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion in  recalling  their  deeds  and  perpetuating  the  memories 
of  such  a  soldier  and  such  a  patriot  of  local  and  national 
fame  as  James  Hillhouse. 


EZRA  STILES,  LL.D. 

President  of  Yale  College  1778-1 795- 


SERVICES  IN  HONOR  OF  EZRA  STILES 

AT   THE 

GROVE  STREET  CEMETERY 

IN  NEW  HAVEN 

Introducing  the  speaker,  Hon.  Simeon  E.  Baldwin,  Chief  Justice  of  Connecti- 
cut, upon  the  occasion  of  the  exercises  held  at  the  grave  of  Ezra  Stiles,  on  June  14. 
1908,  Seymour  C.  Loomis,  President  of  the  Branch,  made  the  following  remarks  on 
Ezra  Stiles,  the  Patriot. 

Not  all  who  served  the  Revolutionary  cause  carried 
a  musket  or  a  sword.  Among  the  patriots  were  those, 
who  by  their  example,  writings,  public  speeches  and  their 
counsel,  nobly  and  effectively  promoted  and  served  their 
country's  welfare.  One  of  the  few,  who  were  elected  hon- 
orary members  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  when 
that  organization  was  first  formed,  was  Ezra  Stiles.  He 
was  born  at  North  Haven  in  1727,  and  descended  from 
the  Stileses  of  Windsor.  He  was  the  President  of  Yale 
College  during  the  principal  part  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  having  been  chosen  in  1777,  inaugurated  in  1778, 
and  continued  in  office  until  his  death  in  1795.  The  col- 
lege, though  relatively  of  equal  influence  as  at  present, 
consisted  then  of  only  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  under- 
graduates, and  its  faculty  beside  the  president,  of  a  pro- 
fessor of  divinity,  Naphtali  Daggett,  a  professor  of  mathe- 
matics and  natural  philosophy  and  three  tutors. 

President  Stiles  was  in  office  at  the  time  New  Haven 
was  invaded  by  Try  on  in  1779,  and  assisted  much  by  his 
counsel  and  exhortations  in  its  defense.  He  was  of  deli- 
cate health  and  unable  to  withstand  much  physical  hard- 
ship, but  his  heart  and  his  mind  were  true  to  his  country. 
He  was  the  friend  and  adviser  of  Gov.  Trumbull.  He 
had  studied  for  the  law,  which  he  practiced  for  about 
two  years;  then  entered  the  ministry  and  was  settled  at 
Newport  in  Rhode  Island.  He  refused  to  be  considered 


1 8  Services  in  Honor  of  Ezra  Stiles 

a  candidate  for  the  presidency  of  Yale  College  when  the 
subject  was  mentioned  to  him  at  the  time  President 
Daggett  was  elected  in  1766,  though  he  was  induced  to 
accept  it  eleven  years  later. 

He  was  educated  in  science,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
to  conduct,  when  a  tutor,  a  series  of  electrical  experiments 
with  a  machine,  which  had  been  given  to  Yale  by  Dr. 
Franklin.  During  his  whole  life  he  exemplified  by  his 
teaching  and  example  a  tolerance  in  religion  and  politics 
which  was  rare  for  that  period.  One  of  his  closest  friends 
was  a  Jewish  rabbi.  Stiles  was,  however,  well  grounded 
in  his  own  beliefs.  He  was  opposed  to  the  custom,  which 
prevailed  before  the  Revolution  among  the  ministers  of 
the  Church  of  England,  of  preaching  a  sermon  on  each 
thirtieth  of  January  in  commemoration  of  the  martyrdom 
(as  they  then  called  it)  of  King  Charles  I.  He  objected 
strongly  to  such  an  observance  in  this  country  and  claimed 
that  it  should  rather  be  celebrated  as  an  anniversary  of 
joy  and  thankfulness  that  a  tyrant  had  been  made  to 
yield  to  the  *  'sovereignty  of  the  people."  He  wrote  a 
biography  of  the  exiled  Judges  Whalley,  Goffe  and  Dix- 
well,  which  did  much  to  excite  the  people  of  New  Eng- 
land to  revolt  from  the  British  Rule.  His  diary  kept 
during  that  critical  period  is  of  priceless  value  to  the  his- 
torian. But  of  all  his  achievements  the  greatest  was  that 
he  put  Yale  College  on  the  solid  foundation,  and  what 
has  now  become  the  traditional  principle  of  the  university, 
of  conducting  its  affairs  in  harmony  with  the  people  of 
the  state  and  of  training  men  for  the  public  service. 


EZRA  STILES 


BY  SIMEON  E.  BALDWIN,  LL.D. 

Address   delivered  in   the  old  cemetery  in  New  Haven  before  the  Gen.   David 
Humphreys  Branch  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  June  i4th,  1908. 


There  are  three  classes  of  men,  whose  memory  we  would 
honor  to-day:  Those  who  fought  in  the  Revolution — the 
largest  class;  those  who  conducted  the  civil  affairs  of  the 
country  during  the  Revolution, — a  much  smaller  class; 
those  who  prepared  the  way  for  the  Revolution,  and  made 
possible  its  success.  To  this  last  class — the  smallest  of  all — 
the  prophets  of  Independence,  belonged  Ezra  Stiles,  of 
whom  I  have  been  asked  to  speak  to  you  this  afternoon. 

A  minister  of  religion,  the  son  of  a  minister,  and  the 
grandson  of  a  minister,  his  profession  was  one  of  peace. 
But  he  was  not  one  of  those  to  whom  peace  at  any  price 
seems  worth  the  having.  There  are  things  in  this  world, 
rights  to  be  won,  duties  to  be  fulfilled,  where  the  motto 
must  be,  Peaceably  if  we  can,  forcibly  if  we  must. 

Thirty  years  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
when  graduating  from  Yale,  he  defended  in  debate  the 
proposition  that  divine  law  gives  no  hereditary  title  to  a 
King. 

In  1760,  when  settled  as  a  minister  in  Newport,  he 
delivered  a  sermon  there,  on  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving 
for  the  surrender  of  Montreal  to  the  British,  which  com- 
pleted the  conquest  of  Canada.  How,  he  asked,  did  Ameri- 
can political  institutions  compare  with  those  of  Europe? 
We  were  planting  an  empire — of  better  laws  and  religion — 
and,  he  added: 

"It  is  probable  that  in  time  there  will  be  formed  a  provincial  con- 
federacy and  a  common  council  standing  on  full  provincial  suffrage ; 
and  this  may  in  time  terminate  in  an  imperial  diet,  where  the  imperial 
dominion  will  subsist,  as  it  ought,  in  election." 


20  Ezra  Stiles 

The  time  of  which  he  spoke  was  soon  to  come.  On 
August  1 4th,  1765,  came  the  uprising  at  Boston  against  the 
Stamp  Act.  For  many  years  afterwards  the  anniversary  of 
the  event  was  celebrated.  There  were  annual  gatherings  to 
commemorate  it,  as  he  notes  in  his  diary,  at  the  Liberty 
Tree  in  Dorchester.  But  a  greater  anniversary  was  to  take 
its  place ;  that  of  the  solemn  uprising  of  all  the  thirteen  col- 
onies, to  declare  their  full  independence  of  the  British 
crown. 

I  have  mentioned  his  diary.  This  exists  in  manuscript 
in  the  library  of  Yale  University,  and  the  larger  part  of  it 
was  printed  a  few  years  ago  in  its  series  of  Bicentennial 
publications.  It  covers  a  long  period  of  years,  and  shows 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  the  spirit  of  the  ardent  patriot, 
the  cultivated  scholar,  and  the  keen  observer  of  all  that 
makes  the  history  of  the  time. 

He  was  for  a  long  time  pastor  of  a  church  in  Newport, 
and  on  coming  there  found  that  a  memorial  day  was  cele- 
brated in  one  of  the  other  churches,  of  a  very  different 
character  from  that  of  the  Boston  affair  of  1765. 

The  thirtieth  of  January  had  always  been  observed  in  the 
Episcopal  church  at  that  place,  as  the  anniversary  of  the 
death  of  Charles  I.  In  1770  the  service  was  omitted,  and 
Stiles  says  in  his  diary,  that  if  the  day  were  to  be  observed, 
it  ought  to  be,  not  in  sorrow  for  a  martyred  King,  but  as  a 
Thanksgiving  that  one  nation  on  earth  had  so  much  forti- 
tude and  public  justice  as  to  make  a  royal  tyrant  bow  to  the 
sovereignty  of  the  people,  and  sentence  him  to  a  well 
merited  punishment. 

In  the  same  spirit,  he  copies  in  his  diary  (I,  649)  the 
epitaph  on  the  cannon  marking  the  grave  of  John  Brad- 
shaw,  President  of  the  Court  of  Regicides : 

"  Stranger 
Ere  thou  pass,  contemplate  this  Canon, 

Not  regardless  be  told 
That  near  its  Base  lies  deposited  the  Dust  of 

JOHN  BRADSHAW, 
Who  nobly  superior  to  all  selfish  Regards 


Ezra  Stiles  21 

Despising  alike  the  pageantry  of  Court  Splendor, 

The  Blast  of  Calumny  &  the  Terrors  of  royal  Vengeance, 

Presided  in  the  illustrious  Band  of  Heroes  and  Patriots 

Who  fairly  and  openly  adjudged 

CHARLES  STEWART, 

Tyrant  of  England, 
To  a  public  and  exemplary  Death : 
Thereby  presenting  to  the  amazed  World, 
And  transmitting  down  thro'  applauding  ages 

The  most  glorious  Example 
of  unshaken  Virtue,  Love  of  Freedom  and 

Impartial  Justice; 

Ever  exhibited  on  the  blood-stained  Theatre 
of  human  action. 

O  Reader 
Pass  not  till  thou  hast  blessed  his  Memory 

And  never — never  forget 
THAT  REBELLION  TO  TYRANNY 
[S  OBEDIENCE  TO  GOD. " 

In  March,  1770,  Newport  set  up  a  Liberty  Tree,  to 
mark  the  anniversary  of  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act 
(March  18,  1766). 

In  1772,  Dr.  Stiles  wrote  to  a  friend  in  England,  that 
the  system  of  that  country  as  to  colony  administration  was 
leading  directly  to  the  establishment  of  a  glorious  empire 
here;  and  in  1774,  in  a  similar  letter,  declared  that  no  man 
in  America  believed  that  our  increasing  millions  would 
always  submit  to  despotism.  Revolution  might  come  and 
if  it  did  its  success  was  "indubitable." 

All  his  ministerial  brethren  were  by  no  means  of  his 
opinion. 

June  30,  1774,  was  made  by  the  Rhode  Island  Assembly 
a  day  of  Public  Fasting  and  Prayer,  on  account  of  the 
closing  of  the  port  of  Boston  by  the  British  ministry.  The 
shops  of  Newport  were  shut  and  Dr.  Stiles  preached  a  ser- 
mon appropriate  to  the  day ;  but  in  a  neighboring  church,  he 
says  in  his  diary,  the  clergyman  took  for  his  text  "Fast  not 
as  the  hypocrites  do,"  and  preached  a  "High  Tory  sermon 
against  Boston  and  New  England,  as  a  turbulent,  ungov- 
erned  people." 

In  the  following  September,  when  Gen.  Gage  seized  the 


22  Ezra  Stiles 

powder  in  the  Charlestown  arsenal,  30,000  men,  says  his 
diary,  started  for  Boston  from  different  parts  of  New  Eng- 
land. This  shows,  he  adds,  that  New  Englanders  "are 
ready  to  fight  for  their  Liberties." 

He  was  confident  of  success.  Great  Britain,  he  thought, 
could  not  stand  up  against  a  commercial  war  with  us.  Her 
whole  foreign  commerce  was  then  but  five  million  pounds 
a  year,  of  which  over  three  million  was  with  her  American 
colonies. 

Of  the  Continental  Congress  of  1774,  he  wrote  that  it 
was  a  "regular,  legal,  patriotic  body  wherein  two  millions 
were  as  justly  and  truly  represented,  as  ever  any  body  of 
mankind  were  before.  It  held  up  a  light  to  the  world  to 
shew  to  all  enslaved  empires  how  they  may  put  their  lives 
in  their  hands  and  rise  to  liberty." 

The  battle  of  Lexington  soon  came.  The  news,  he 
writes,  reached  New  Haven  on  Friday  night  "and  on  Lord's 
day  morning  the  company  of  cadets  marched  from  New 
Haven  via  Hartford  for  Boston."  * 

In  July,  1775,  he  writes: 

"  From  this  time  I  consider  the  Twelve  United  Colonies  of  America 
as  having  now  taken  the  form  of  a  republic.  The  old  forms  of  pro- 
vincial Govt's  may  subsist  a  little  longer,  but  their  efficacy  will  diminish, 
while  the  Continental  Congress  will  grow  in  authority  &  rise  into  su- 
preme dominion." 

In  July,  1778,  Dr.  Stiles  was  made  President  of  Yale, 
and  one  of  his  first  acts  was  to  lecture  to  all  the  students  on 
the  nature  of  the  government  of  the  eleven  United  States 
which  had  then  adopted  constitutions  for  themselves, 
whether  before  or  since  "the  glorious  Act  of  Independency." 

On  July  5,  1779,  when  the  British  invaded  New  Haven  t 
Dr.  Stiles  sent  his  son  Ezra  with  the  College  company  of 
students  to  defend  the  approaches  to  the  city,  while  he  him- 
self rode  from  one  military  post  to  another,  uttering,  we 

*  It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  half  of  the  building  in  which  Captain  Benedict 
Arnold,  who  led  the  party,  kept  his  drug  store  is  still  standing.  It  is  on  George  street, 
in  the  rear  of  the  Wood  block. 

t  A  sketch  drawn  by  Pres.  Stiles  showing  the  forces  of  the  invaders,  their 
places  of  landing  and  lines  of  march  is  reproduced  opposite  page  33  of  this  volume. 


Ezra  Stiles  23 

may  be  sure,  words  of  patriotic  encouragement  and  sym- 
pathy. 

On  July  4,  1780,  Dr.  Stiles,  with  the  other  clergy  of  the 
town,  made  part  of  a  company  "of  Patriots"  who  dined  to- 
gether at  the  "Coffee  House"  in  this  city.  His  diary  has 
this  brief  description  of  it :  "After  dinner  thirteen  patriotic 
toasts  were  given.  *  *  *  At  the  third,  the  ministers 
retired." 

The  Fourth  of  July  was  celebrated  then  at  New  Haven 
with  less  noise,  and  more  solemnity  than  now.  The  diary 
gives  this  account  of  the  day  in  1787. 

"4.  Anniversary  of  Independence  celebrated  in  New  Haven. 
Between  XI  &  XII  a  Procession  was  formed  from  the  Court  House 
(by  Desire  of  the  Committee  for  Celebration)  by  the  Scholars  preceded 
by  the  two  City  Sheriffs,  then  the  Citizens,  Common  Council-Men, 
Aldermen  (Mayor*  abs.  at  Philada.  Convention)  &  the  Clergy  viz. 
Mess"  Whittr,  Street,  Wales,  Edwds,  Holmes,  Austin  &  myself.  Be- 
ing seated  in  the  Meetinghouse,  I  being  desired  by  the  Committee 
presided,  gave  XVIIIth  Ps.  Watts:  then  I  made  a  Prayer  of  Thanks- 
giv&  20;  then  sang  Ps.  73.  Then  havs  been  previously  desired  to 
do  so  covered  my  head  with  my  Hat,f  and  called  up  the  Orator  viz. 
David  Daggett  Esq.J  who  made  an  excellent  Anniversary  Oration  of 
fourty  Minutes.  Closed  with  an  Anthem.  Dined  with  about  100 
Gent,  in  the  State  House.  "§ 

In  1788  the  entry  was  as  follows : 

"  4.  Anniversary  celebrated  in  New  Haven.  A  Procession  formed 
at  the  Long  Wharf  of  a  Commixture  of  all  Descriptions,  accords  to 
the  Idea  conceived  at  Boston  at  their  Rejoycing  last  Winter.  A  Sower 
headed  the  Procession  succeded  by  3  pair  of  Oxen  &  one  holds  a  Plow ; 
then  Reapers,  Rakers,  Shoemakers,  Sadlers,  Cabinet  Makers,  Black- 
smiths, Goldsmiths  &c.  then  a  Whale  Boat  manned  &  rows  a  federal 
ship,  Cap*  &  Sailors,  Citizens,  Merch*8,  Scholars  of  the  several  Schools, 
Masters,  Tutors  of  the  College,  7  Ministers,  City  Sheriffs,  High  Sheriff, 
Common  Council  Men,  Aldermen,  Mayor  Mr.  Sherman,  the  Committee 
of  the  Day  &  Orator.  The  Procession  moved  at  Eleven  o'clock  & 
march  thro'  State  street  up  as  high  as  Elm  street,  thro'  that  to  College 
street  then  round  thro'  Chapel  street,  by  the  College  into  the  Green— - 

*  Roger  Sherman,  who  was  then  in  attendance  at  the  Convention  which  was  framing 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

tThe  academic  custom  for  a  College  President  when  performing  some  solemn  act 
at  a  public  function. 

J  Afterwards  Chief  Justice  of  Connecticut,  and  U.  S.  Senator. 

§111,  269. 


24  Ezra  Stiles 

the  Head  reached  round  the  Green  to  the  Brick  Meetinghouse  Door 
when  the  other  End  was  at  the  College,  or  a  Length  of  about  an  hun- 
dred or  120  Rods.     The  whole  March  was  near  one  Mile  &  three  Quar- 
ters.    Entered  the  Meet&h.  at  Noon  or  XI. 59. 
Exercises, 

XIh  59. A.M. Entered — Anthem  singing. 

XII.  2.          Salute  by  discharge  of  XIII  Canon  in  a  Park  around 

Liberty  Pole,  the  Federal  Flag  flying. 
XII.    9.          Declaration  of  Independ.  1776.     Read  by  Mr.  Meigs. 

20.          Hymn  67th  Watts  sung. 
XII.  26.          to  XII.  54.     Prayer  by  Dr.  Wales. 

55.          Singing  21  Psalm. 
i.  6.          to  1.39.     Oration  by  Mr.  Baldwin.* 

Contribution  for  the  poor. 

1.47.          Federal  Hymn  composed  by  Tutor  Bidwell. 
1.56.          Blessing  by  myself.     Thus  the  exercises  continued  about 
two  hours  in  the  Meetshouse. 

We  then  broke  up  &  went  to  the  State  House,  where  about  150 
Gentlemen  dined  together  &  drank  13  Toasts  under  the  Discharge  of 
Canon.  At  the  fourth  Toast  which  was  Gen.  Washington,  the  Min- 
isters retired  and  smoked  a  pipe  in  the  Council  Chamber.  Reverend 
Mess"  Dana,  Street,  Trumbull,  Edwd8,  Wales,  Austin,  &  myself  were 
present.  Afterwds  the  Ministers  walked  &  drank  Tea  at  my  House,  "f 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  appreciate  at  this  distance  of  time 
the  horrors  which  attached  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  on 
account  of  the  participation  of  the  Indians  in  the  invasions 
of  the  British  forces.  His  diary  J  notes  that  in  January, 
1782,  soon  after  the  successful  expedition  of  our  troops 
against  the  Six  Nations,  in  which  many  packs  of  peltry 
were  captured,  there  were  found  among  them  eight  of  human 
scalps.  They  were  the  fruit  of  the  preceding  three  years  of 
Indian  ravages  on  the  frontiers  of  New  York,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  and  had  been  made  up,  says 
Stiles,  to  send  to  the  Governor  of  Quebec,  to  be  forwarded 
thence  to  London.  One  pack  contained  two  hundred  and 
eleven  scalps  of  girls ;  another  one  hundred  and  ninety-three 
scalps  of  boys;  another  one  hundred  and  two  of  men, 
eighteen  of  whom  had  been  burned  alive. 

*Simeon  Baldwin,  afterward  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Errors,  and  Mayor  of 
New  Haven. 

tin,  3«. 
tin,  56. 


Ezra  Stiles  25 

In  1783,  Dr.  Stiles  delivered  the  election  sermon  at 
Hartford.  This,  you  recollect,  was  an  annual  affair.  The 
General  Assembly  always  attended,  and  it  was  followed  by 
a  public  dinner,  at  the  expense  of  the  State.  Dr.  Stiles  took 
for  his  subject  the  Treaty  of  Peace  with  its  acknowledg- 
ment of  our  independence  and  sovereignty,  and  painted  in 
strong  colors  a  great  future  for  the  United  States.  The  dis- 
course awakened  wide  attention  both  here  and  in  England, 
and  a  sumptuous  edition  was  soon  published  in  London. 
The  title  is  significant  of  the  author's  thought :  "The  United 
States  elevated  to  Glory  and  Power." 

The  Indian  trading-post  known  as  St.  Louis,  founded 
by  the  French  in  1764,  though  on  Spanish  territory,  con- 
tinued for  many  years  to  be  practically  under  French  con- 
trol. Spain,  in  1789,  endeavored  to  vindicate  her  title  and 
strengthen  her  hold  upon  Western  America  by  inviting 
accessions  from  the  United  States.  Dr.  Stiles,  with  his 
customary  largeness  of  view,  comments  upon  these  facts 
thus,  in  his  diary  for  August  27,  1789: 

"The  King  of  Spain  has  this  year  begun  a  City  on  the  West  side  of 
Mississippi,  at  the  Mouth  of  Missouri.  And  published  a  Proclam*  to 
invite  Settlers  from  the  English  in  the  United  States,  with  great  Immu- 
nities &  Privileges — allows  free  Lib?  of  Conscience  in  Religion  gives 
400  Acres  to  a  Family  &  Cow  &  farm  Utensils  &  ten  years  freedom  from 
Taxes,  i.  This  will  make  a  large  Draught  of  Settlers  from  Kentucky 
&c.  2.  They  will  seed  the  Territy  W.  of  Mississippi  with  English 
Blood  even  to  future  increase  Millions.  3.  Extend  the  English  Lan- 
guage over  all  n.  America.  4.  Tho'  at  present  under  Spanish  Gov*  & 
may  continue  so  an  age  or  two,  yet  upon  the  first  Quarrel  between 
Spain  &  us  they  will  either  come  to  us,  or  erect  themselves  into  an  inde- 
pend.  Republic.  5.  They  will  be  the  means  of  introducing  more  liberal 
ideas  among  the  Mexican  Spands  &  this  Communica  will  shew  them 
the  Way  to  free  themselves  from  the  Tyranny  of  European  Masters,  & 
bring  on  a  Revolution  in  Spanish  America.  6.  This  Precedent  will 
make  way  for  the  Protestant  Religion  in  Mexico  &  old  Spain.  7.  Open 
the  Navig*  of  Mississippi  to  us."* 

Most  of  these  forecasts  have  been  fulfilled.    There  was 
a  rush  of  immigration  from  our  Southwestern  territory. 
*in,  364. 


26  Ezra  Stiles 

The  change  of  title  soon  to  come  from  Spain  to  France  could 
not  check  the  seeding  of  the  Mississippi  valley  with  English 
blood.  It  came  into  the  United  States.  The  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi  became  free.  Revolutions  in  Spanish  Amer- 
ica followed,  and  now  all  America  is  under  republican  gov- 
ernment, either  in  name  or  fact. 

These  opinions  were  not  shared  by  many  of  his  contem- 
poraries, and  among  those  of  them  who  took  a  narrower 
view  I  may  include  one  no  less  eminent  than  the  Revolution- 
ary hero,  under  whose  name  you  are  associated.  In  his  ora- 
tion before  the  Society  of  Cincinnati  in  1804,  General  Hum- 
phreys, in  alluding  to  our  purchase  of  the  Louisiana  terri- 
tory, remarked  that  it  was  "the  first  national  act  towards  an 
unnecessary  enlargement  of  empire,"  and  that  the  Mississ- 
ippi river  was  a  boundary  which  appeared  to  have  been 
designed  by  nature  as  our  Westward  barrier. 

Dr.  Stiles  watched  the  progress  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion with  the  greatest  interest.  There,  on  a  wider  field  than 
here,  the  drama  of  Revolution  was  to  be  exhibited.  In 
August,  1791,  he  notes  in  his  diary  the  news,  just  received, 
of  the  arrest  and  return  to  Paris  of  the  royal  family,  on 
June  21,  and  observes  of  it: 

"A  grand  &  important  Event,  wc  will  either  involve  a  Civil  War, 
or  more  firmly  establsh  the  Supremacy  &  Authory  of  the  National 
Assembly.  It  will  do  the  latter,  &  convince  all  the  Sovereigns  of 
Europe  the  Vanity  of  withstandg  the  general  &  popular  Revolutions 
of  a  Nation  of  enlightened  Subjects."* 

Dr.  Stiles  was  throughout  his  life  deeply  interested  in 
all  that  pertained  to  civil  government,  both  in  theory  and 
practice.  While  a  minister  at  West  Haven,  he  pursued  for 
three  years  the  study  of  law,  and  was  then  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  this  county,  where  he  practiced  for  two  years.  He 
read  the  leading  institutional  work  on  Roman  Law  in  the 
original  Latin.  In  political  philosophy,  he  recognized 
Machiavelli  as  a  profound  teacher,  and  perhaps  gave  him 
•in.  4a8. 


Ezra  Stiles  27 

too  much  credit,  in  view  of  his  advocacy  of  a  policy  of  dis- 
simulation. "To-day,"  says  the  diary  in  1786,  "I  have  been 
reading  in  the  Works  of  that  great  Politician,  Civilian  and 
Patriot  the  learned  and  excellent  Machiavel,  and  am  par- 
ticularly well  pleased  with  his  Letter  Apr.  i,  1537  at  the 
Beginning  of  the  Reformation.  He  appears  to  be  a  true 
Christian  and  a  hearty  Friend  to  the  civil  and  religious 
Liberties  and  Rights,  not  of  Florence  and  Italy  only,  but  of 
all  Mankind.  Our  Members  of  Congress  have  been  much 
conversant  in  his  Writings,  and  imbibed  much  Light  and 
Wisdom  from  them."  * 

Another  of  the  leading  works  of  his  day  on  political 
science  he  held  in  high  regard.  This  was  Montesquieu's 
Spirit  of  the  Laws,  which  had  been  published  in  1748.  It 
had  a  profound  influence  on  our  own  constitutional  institu- 
tions. Voltaire  said  of  it,  that  when  the  human  race  had 
lost  their  charters  of  liberty,  Montesquieu  re-discovered  and 
restored  them.  This  work  was  made  a  text-book  in  Prince- 
ton College  very  soon  after  the  Revolution.  President  Stiles 
followed  this  example,  and  taught  it  to  the  Senior  Class 
here,  beginning  in  1789. 

In  1793,  he  added  to  his  course  in  Political  Science  with 
the  Senior  Class  instruction  in  Vattel's  Law  of  Nature  and 
Nations. 

Nothing  of  interest  in  the  events  of  the  day  escaped  the 
notice  of  Dr.  Stiles.  The  progress  of  invention  he  watched 
with  especial  care.  Under  date  of  November  21,  1794,  we 
find  this  note  in  his  diary,  which  shows  that  the  method  of 
making  paper  from  wood  is  no  novelty. 

"Mr.  Goodrich,  last  Week  from  Rutland,  Verm1,  brought  me  a 
Verm1  Newspaper  of  Ins1  made  at  New  Haven  Verm1  of  the  inner 
Rind  of  Bass  Wood.  This  is  the  first  paper  of  Bass  Bark,  and  it  is  the 
first  Copy  or  sheet  of  this  kind  of  paper  ever  printed.  It  will  make 
common  ordinary  but  not  superfine  Paper.  This  bark  will  cost  not 
one  third  so  much  as  Rags,  so  in  this  Manufact,  Two  Thirds  saved,  "f 

*III,   211. 

till,  547. 


28  Ezra  Stiles 

Dr.  Stiles  in  his  theology  was  what  the  phrase  of  the 
day  denominated  as  "latitudinarian ;"  but  would  have 
been  counted  to-day  among  the  ultra-conservatives  of  his 
profession. 

He  had  quite  close  relations  with  a  number  of  learned 
Jews.  One  of  them,  a  Mr.  Lopez  of  Newport,  died,  and 
his  diary  thus  notes  the  event : 

"He  was  my  intimate  Friend  &  Acquaintance!  Oh!  how  often 
have  I  wished  that  sincere  pious  &  candid  mind  could  have  perceived 
the  Evidences  of  Xty,  perceived  the  Truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  Christ, 
known  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah  predicted  by  Moses  &  the  Prophets! 
The  amiable  &  excellent  Characters  of  a  Lopez,  of  a  Manasseh  Ben 
Israel,  of  a  Socrates,  &  a  Gangenelli,  would  almost  persuade  us  to  hope 
that  their  Excellency  was  infused  by  Heaven,  and  that  the  virtuous  & 
good  of  all  Nations  &  religions,  notwithstands  their  Delusions,  may 
be  brou't  together  in  Paradise  on  the  Xtian  System,  finding  Grace 
with  the  all  benevolent  &  adorable  Emmanuel  who  with  his  expiring 
breath  &  in  his  deepest  agonies,  prayed  for  those  who  knew  not  what 
they  did."* 

Three  years  later  another  of  his  old  friends  died — Gov. 
Hopkins  of  Providence,  He  quotes  in  his  diary  from  an 
"  extra  "  published  by  the  Providence  Gazette,  to  announce 
the  event,  in  which  it  is  observed  that  the  Governor  con- 
templated religion  "as  a  divine  System  formed  by  the 
Universal  Parent,  connecting  rational  Beings  in  a  common 
Interest,  &  conducting  them  to  unbounded  Felicity. 
Hence  an  universal  Benevolence  adorned  his  Virtues,  and 
a  full  Persuasion  of  the  unbounded  Goodness  of  the  Deity 
brightened  the  Prospects  of  his  future  Happiness.  In 
Life  he  rose  sup.  to  the  follies,  &  in  Death  to  the  fears  of 
an  ignorant,  licentious  World.  He  expected  with  Pa- 
tience, &  met  with  philosophic  &  pious  Intrepidity,  the 
the  fatal  Messenger  Death,  &  with  rapturous  Extasy  em- 
braced the  Glories  of  Immortality."  "I,"  adds  the  Presi- 
dent, "well  knew  Gov.  Hopkins.  He  was  a  man  of  a 
penetrating  astutious  Genius,  full  of  Subtlety,  deep 
Cunning,  intriguing  &  enterprising.  He  read  much  espy 
in  History  &  Government;  by  Readg,  Conversa  &  Observ* 

*m,  24. 


Ezra  Stiles  29 

acquired  a  great  Fund  of  political  Knowledge.  He  was 
rather  a  Quaker,  havg  a  seat  in  the  Meeting,  but  it  has 
been  said  these  thirty  years  by  his  most  intimate  Ac- 
quaint* that  he  was  a  Deist,  and  of  this  I  made  no  doubt 
from  my  own  frequent  Conversa  with  him.  He  was  a 
Man  of  a  Noble  fortitude  &  Resolution.  He  was  a  glorious 
Patriot! — (but  Jesus  will  say  unto  him  I  know  you  not.)  "* 
What  is  called  the  " historical  criticism"  of  the  bible 
is  thought  by  many  to  be  a  thing  of  late  date  in  this  coun- 
try. Dr.  Stiles  was  by  no  means  unfamiliar  with  it,  or 
out  of  sympathy  with  its  aims.  In  1786  we  find  him  read- 
ing in  French  a  book  entitled  "  Conjectures  on  the  original 
memorials  of  which  Moses  apparently  made  use  in  com- 
posing the  Book  of  Genesis. " 

But  time  forbids  further  reference  to  the  details  of 
this  good  man's  life.  They  are  open  to  the  eye  of  all,  as 
given  from  day  to  day  by  his  own  pen.  There  is  no  one 
among  the  citizens  of  Connecticut  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury whose  character  can  be  known  to  us  as  closely  as  his. 

Samuel  Johnson  is  a  familiar  figure  to  succeeding  gen- 
erations, because  he  had  a  skilful  biographer.  His  writ- 
ings are  little  read;  but  Boswell's  Life  of  him  is  in  every 
library.  Rousseau's  writings  are  now  little  read ;  but  not 
so  his  autobiography;  St.  Augustine's,  but  not  so  his 
"Confessions."  So  Stiles'  diary  gives  us  the  material 
for  judging  the  man,  even  more  accurately  than  could 
his  contemporaries. 

His  body  was  laid  to  rest  on  the  Green,  and  there,  I 
presume,  this  monument,  by  which  we  are  now  assembled, 
was  first  erected. 

No  interment  took  place  in  this  cemetery  until  1797, 
two  years  after  his  death. 

The  monuments  were  removed  here  from  the  Green  in 
1821.  A  public  religious  service  was  held  in  the  Center 
Church  on  June  26th  of  that  year,  when  Abraham  Bishop 

*m,  172. 


30  Ezra  Stiles 

delivered  a  funeral  address,  immediately  after  which  a 
committee  of  which  James  Hillhouse — the  greatest  beau- 
tifier  of  New  Haven — was  chairman,  accompanied  by  the 
President  and  Faculty  of  the  College,  conveyed  the  monu- 
ments of  the  College  officers  and  students  who  were  buried 
on  the  Green  to  this  lot.  That  in  memory  of  President 
Stiles,  erected  by  the  University,  summarizes  his  character 
in  stately  Latin  phrase,  which  may  be  translated  thus : 

Endowed  with  a  lofty  mind, 
imbued  with  universal  erudition ; 
of  the  most  gracious  urbanity, 
of  approved  morals 

Eminent  for 
charity,  faith,  evangelical  piety, 

in  the  duties  of 

father,  friend,  teacher, 

minister  of  the  church,  man ; 

to  his  family  most  dear; 

in  the  church  dignified  with  great  respect; 

through  all  lands  held  in  honor, 

he  lived : 
amid  the  tears  of  all 

he  died, 

May  12,  1795 

Aged  68. 


NEW  HAVEN  GREEN  IN  THE   REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD. 

From  a  drawing  in  possession  of  the  New  Haven  Colony  Historical  Society. 


THE   DEFENSE  OF  NEW  HAVEN 

AND 

RESISTANCE    MADE    AGAINST    INVADING 

TROOPS  ALONG  THE  WEST  SHORE, 

JULY,  .779 


BY  GEORGE  HARE  FORD. 

Delivered  before   the  Connecticut    Society,  Sons  of  American  Revolution,  at  a 
summer  outing  at  the  West  Shore,  September,  1908. 


Historical  and  ever  memorable  events  on  this  Connecti- 
cut Coast  and  along  this  Connecticut  shore  a  century  and  a 
quarter  ago,  suggest  the  occasion  and  the  spot  for  this 
gathering  in  a  social  way  of  men  whose  ancestors  were  as- 
sociated as  friends  and  patriots  in  that  American  conflict, 
1775  to  '8 1,  which  brought  about  the  establishment  of  this, 
now  the  second  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  A  natural 
pride  inspires  us  as  we  contemplate  this  fact,  and  a  spec- 
ial pleasure  pervades  the  members  of  this  patriotic  society 
as  we  gather  and  greet  each  other,  reiterate  and  rehearse 
historic  incidents,  and  assist  to  transmit  for  generations  fol- 
lowing the  magnificent  heritage  secured  to  us  through  those 
anxious  and  perilous  times  by  the  deeds  of  our  forefathers. 
The  grandeur  of  their  achievements  can  not  be  too  highly 
estimated. 

The  Revolutionary  battles  of  Connecticut,  while  not 
numerous,  were  important.  The  population  of  the  state 
then  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  white 
and  five  thousand  colored.  Four  thousand  patriots  had 
marched  to  Lexington;  thirty-eight  thousand  were  enrolled 
in  the  Continental  army,  a  larger  number  than  from  any 


32  The  Defense  of  New  Haven 

other  state,  except  Massachusetts.  Connecticut  had  fur- 
nished largety  of  manufactured  supplies  and  munitions  of 
war,  and  fitted  out  frequent  expeditions  by  land  and  water, 
causing  great  annoyance  to  the  British.  An  attempt  had 
been  made  to  negotiate,  and  Governor  Trumbull  had  re- 
plied in  no  uncertain  words.  Commanding  General  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  with  headquarters  at  the  city  of  New  York, 
had  evidently  planned,  after  capturing  Stony  Point  and 
other  strongholds  on  the  Hudson,  for  a  similar  campaign 
along  the  Connecticut  shore. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1779,  the  British  in  control  of 
Long  Island  and  the  Sound,  that  General  William  Tryon, 
then  Colonial  Governor  of  New  York,  in  command  of  5,000 
well  equipped  troops,  embarked  on  forty-eight  ships  with 
Sir  George  Collier,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  British 
Naval  forces  of  America,  composing  the  largest  fleet  that 
entered  Long  Island  Sound  during  the  Revolution,  and  set 
sail  for  conquest  along  this  coast.  It  was  supposed  at  first 
that  they  were  bound  for  New  London  or  Newport,  and  not 
until  they  had  passed  Stratford  Point,  did  the  people  of  this 
locality  realize  that  New  Haven  was  their  possible  destina- 
tion. 

New  Haven  was  one  of  the  principal  seaports  of  the 
State,  one  of  the  State  capitals,  the  seat  of  Yale  college,  and 
had  the  credit  of  furnishing  the  first  and  only  uniformed 
company,  officered  and  equipped  at  Lexington.  The  thrift  of 
its  founders  as  represented  by  Eaton,  the  noted  merchant, 
and  the  pious  Davenport  was  emphatically  stamped  upon  the 
community,  giving  the  city  a  degree  of  importance  to  the 
British. 

Saturday  nights  were  kept  sacred  in  the  colony  instead  of 
Sunday  night  according  to  the  old  New  England  custom. 
It  was  on  the  eve  of  Sunday,  July  4th,  the  third  anniversary 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  New  Haven  had  never 
celebrated  this  great  event  as  many  of  the  larger  cities  and 
towns  had  already  done.  A  gathering  was  held  in  the  old 
Center  Church  at  sundown  to  complete  elaborate  arrange- 


avnny  tAe  Ifbr  offtte  /fevo/ution 


>'</  4-/y/eces    Cannon. 


/nras/on    of  rfe*  Haven  MS&/779 
0rd»»  by  ft+tMuit  Shto.     'f 


SKETCH  OF  THE  BRITISH  INVASION  OF  NEW  HAVEN,  JULY  STH,  1779. 

Drawn  by  President  Stiles. 


The  Defense  of  New  Haven  33 

ments  for  a  celebration  of  the  event  the  following  day. 
General  Wooster  was  mourned  and  Arnold  was  eulogized. 
Orations  and  ceremonies  were  to  take  place  with  a  banquet 
in  the  evening  when  toasts  would  be  drunk  and  patriotic 
sentiments  expressed.  The  adjoining  towns  had  been  in- 
vited to  participate  in  the  ceremonies.  Everybody  was  en- 
thusiastic and  satisfied  that  the  day  would  be  a  great  success. 
Colonel  Hezekiah  Sabin  was  to  be  the  Grand  Marshal. 
The  Governor's  Foot  Guard  of  Lexington  fame  were  to 
lead  the  procession  under  their  beloved  and  distinguished 
commander,  James  Hillhouse,  afterwards  representative  in 
Congress,  United  States  Senator,  Mayor,  and  fifty  years 
Treasurer  of  Yale  University.  By  his  persistency  in  plant- 
ing elm  trees  here  the  name  of  our  Elm  City  was  acquired. 

"At  10  :oo  o'clock  p.  m.  on  the  Lord's  Day,  July  4th,"  as 
President  Stiles  in  his  diary  informs  us,  "advice  was  re- 
ceived that  a  great  fleet  was  off  Westfield,  now  Bridgeport. 
I  pleaded  for  militia  immediately,  but  did  not  believe  that 
the  enemy  intended  to  land." 

The  diary  continues :  "July  5th,  Monday  morning,  one 
and  one-half  a.  m.,  fleet  had  anchored  off  New  Haven, 
alarm  guns,  bells  rang,  beat  to  arms  in  earnest.  At  day 
light,  with  telescope  on  steeple,  clearly  saw  the  boats  putting 
off  from  the  ships  and  landing  troops." 

History  tells  us,  the  expedition  sailed  under  the  follow- 
ing instructions  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton:  "New  Haven  is 
the  only  port  in  which  the  rebels  have  vessels,  except  New 
London.  Begin  at  New  Haven.  The  country  is  populous  and 
there  are  many  friends  there,  Likewise  land  at  Stratford 
Point  and  Milford,  capturing  cattle;  your  next  object  Fair- 
field."  The  landing  was  made  along  the  beach  between 
where  to-day  is  the  summer  residence  of  our  esteemed 
citizen  Max  Adler  and  Savin  Point.  Up  the  old  road 
from  the  shore  to  the  West  Haven  Green  (that  you  passed 
in  coming  here)  the  left  division  of  the  invading  army 
marched  under  command  of  General  George  Garth.  Here 
they  halted  for  rations  and  breakfast.  They  then  resumed 


34  The  Defense  of  New  Haven 

their  march  three  divisions  of  ten  companies  each,  and  (Bar- 
ber in  his  "History  of  Antiquities  of  New  Haven"  says) 
"The  marching  of  these  troops  along  the  road  and  summit 
of  Milford  hill,  with  their  scarlet  uniforms  and  well  bur- 
nished arms  flashing  in  the  sun-beams,  was  described  by  eye 
witnesses  as  the  most  imposing  military  display  they  ever 
beheld. 

Although  no  great  battle  was  fought  on  this  sultry  July 
morning,  the  warfare  of  Lexington  and  Concord  was  re- 
peated by  unorganized  groups  of  patriots  from  behind  stone 
walls,  fences  and  bushes.  Milford  Hill  was  reached  before 
any  organized  resistance  was  made.  Here  Adjutant  Camp- 
bell of  the  British  Army  was  killed,  and  President  Daggett 
of  Yale  University  was  taken  prisoner,  while  carrying  on  an 
individual  warfare  in  advance  of  our  main  column. 

The  combined  patriot  forces  were  hastily  marshalled 
under  Col.  Sabin,  senior  officer  in  command,  Capt.  Hill- 
house  and  others,  including  Aaron  Burr,  afterwards  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  visiting  in  the  vicinity,  who 
took  command  of  a  section  of  the  defense.  But  they  were 
insufficient  to  arrest  the  advance  of  the  invading  army.  Re- 
treating across  and  burning  West  Bridge,  they  planted  field 
pieces  in  charge  of  Capt.  Bradley,  and  their  fire  was  so  ef- 
fective as  to  prevent  the  British  from  crossing  at  this  point. 
Unable  to  enter  the  town  here  as  anticipated,  the  British 
troops  kept  on  through  Allingtown  up  to  Hotchkisstown 
(now  Westville,  the  home  of  our  registrar),  and  the  defense 
at  West  River  was  transferred  to  along  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river  at  this  point.  Despite  vigorous  resistance,  the 
city  was  entered  by  the  enemy. 

The  story  of  the  two  days  occupancy  of  the  town,  the 
plundering  of  the  houses  and  experiences  of  residents  has 
been  so  often  told,  and  the  legend  of  every  detail  being  so 
highly  familiar  to  and  cherished  by  our  people,  it  need  not  be 
detailed  fully  here.  President  Stiles  in  his  diary  says  that 
"one-third  of  the  population  armed  and  went  to  meet  the 
enemy.  A  quarter  moved  out  of  town,  and  the  rest,  Tories 


The  Defense  of  New  Haven  35 

and  timid  Whigs,  remained  unmoved."  The  town  was  full 
of  confusion  and  alarm.  Important  papers  and  valuables 
were  removed  or  secreted  and  buried.  The  women  and  chil- 
dren as  far  as  possible,  were  sent  to  East  and  West  Rocks. 

Many  instances  of  heroism  may  be  recalled.  Perhaps 
the  most  conspicuous  man  of  the  day  was  the  Acting  Presi- 
dent of  Yale,  Napthali  Daggett,  who,  mounted  on  his  black 
mare  and  with  a  fowling  piece  across  the  pummel  of  the  sad- 
dle, rode  to  the  front  followed  by  an  enthusiastic  company  of 
Yale  students.  Far  in  advance  of  the  command,  he  planted 
himself  in  a  clump  of  bushes  on  Milford  hill  and  opened  a 
warfare  on  his  own  account.  Unable  to  successfully  resist 
the  enemy,  Col.  Sabin  had  ordered  a  retreat,  but  Daggett  in 
his  enthusiasm,  declined  to  leave  the  spot,  and  kept  on 
blazing  away  until  the  head  of  the  line  was  within  a  few 
yards  of  his  ambush.  A  detail  was  sent  to  capture  him,  and 
the  officer  in  charge  addressing  Daggett  in  the  following 
language :  "What  are  you  doing,  you  old  fool,  firing  on 
his  majesty's  troops?"  "Exercising  the  rights  of  war,  sir," 
was  his  reply,  and  off  went  the  fowling  piece  again.  Sur- 
rendered and  taken  prisoner,  he  afterwards  died  of  the  in- 
juries he  received. 

Captain  John  Gilbert,  at  the  head  of  a  company  from 
Hamden,  reaching  Broadway,  was  commanded  by  a  British 
officer  to  surrender,  and  replied  by  shooting  the  officer.  Gil- 
bert was  immediately  bayoneted  by  the  British  soldiers. 
Many  of  the  names  upon  our  rolls  are  to  be  found  on  the 
muster  rolls  of  the  defenders  of  the  town,  and  are  entitled 
by  lineal  descent  to  especially  commemorate  the  events  of 
that  day.  Among  the  killed  and  wounded  appear  the  names 
of  Hotchkiss,  Gilbert,  English,  Bradley,  Daggett,  Beers, 
Atwater,  Mix  and  others  prominent  in  the  local  branch  of 
our  Society. 

Patriotic  women  cast  bullets  and  supplied  them  to  our 
troops.  Others,  by  their  skilled  and  ready  Yankee  inge- 
nuity, prevented  disaster  and  thought  too  quickly  for  the 
now  rum  befuddled  brains  of  the  enemy,  thereby  saving 


36  The  Defense  of  New  Haven 

property  and  lives.  Tories,  too,  assisted  in  the  crisis  by 
their  hospitality  and  assurance  of  loyalty  to  the  King,  im- 
pressing upon  the  officers  how  much  the  Royal  cause  would 
suffer  if  the  town  was  burned.  Gen.  Garth,  taken  to  the 
top  of  the  Court  House,  and  surveying  the  situation  from 
the  roof,  remarked  it  was  "too  beautiful  a  town  to  burn." 
But  plunder  and  destruction  prevailed.  Valuables  of  every 
description  were  taken  or  demolished. 

An  interesting  story  in  connection  with  Deacon  Ball  of 
Center  Church,  who  lived  at  the  corner  of  Chapel  and  High 
streets,  where  the  Yale  Art  School  now  stands.  He  was  the 
custodian  of  the  solid  silver  Communion  Cups,  and  secreted 
them  by  lifting  his  little  eight  year  old  daughter  up  the 
chimney  sufficiently  high  to  put  them  on  a  ledge.  They 
were  not  discovered  by  the  enemy  and  are  still  in  use  at 
Center  Church. 

The  old  historic  New  Haven  Green  occupied  by  the 
main  forces,  was  then  surrounded  by  dwelling  houses.  The 
only  one  remaining,  so  far  as  I  know,  is  the  Pierpont  resi- 
dence on  Elm  Street,  between  the  Graduates  Club  house  and 
the  Governor  Ingersoll  house  at  Temple  Street.  The  Pier- 
pont house  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  and  is  owned 
and  occupied  by  Anson  Phelps  Stokes,  Jr.,  Secretary  of 
Yale  University.  This  house  was  used  as  a  hospital  during 
the  Invasion.  Where  the  Tontine  Hotel  now  stands  was 
Ogden's  Coffee  House.  Ogden  was  a  Tory  who  became  so 
unpopular  by  entertaining  the  British  that  he  and  his 
family  were  soon  obliged  to  move  from  the  city. 

"Being  a  prosperous  commercial  town,  a  large  number 
of  New  Haven's  inhabitants  were  wealthy.  Many  were 
engaged  in  West  India  trade,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  house 
that  did  not  have  in  its  cellar  a  barrel  of  old  Santa  Cruz 
rum.  The  soldiers  soon  discovered  this,  and  from  the  great 
supply  of  liquor,  became  more  or  less  intoxicated,"  as  already 
intimated.  But  organized  and  unorganized  bodies  of  patriots 
were  swiftly  gathering  from  surrounding  towns.  General 
Andrew  Ward  with  three  regiments  of  Continentals  was 


The  Defense  of  New  Haven  37 

fast  approaching  from  the  east.  The  English  generals, 
unable  to  control  their  men,  began  to  be  alarmed,  and  fear- 
ing they  might  be  surrounded  and  their  retreat  cut  off, 
cautiously  withdrew  their  forces  and  re-embarked  in  the 
night  to  the  surprise  of  the  patriots  and  inhabitants  of  the 
town,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  New  Haven  was 
no  longer  in  possession  of  the  hostile  forces,  and  had  es- 
caped the  disaster  that  attended  the  raids  upon  Fairfield  and 
Norwalk  two  days  later  by  the  same  forces,  when  all  the 
public  buildings,  churches,  school  houses,  mills  and  four 
hundred  and  seventy-one  dwelling  houses  in  those  places 
were  burned. 

Had  not  a  successful  resistance  been  made  at  New  Ha- 
ven and  our  forces  rallied  with  such  strength  as  to  make  the 
foe's  retreat  desirable,  this  important  port  in  possession  of 
the  British  would  have  been  a  most  serious  embarrassment 
to  the  whole  Continental  army,  and  the  result  would  have 
been  far  reaching. 

This  brief  reference  to  the  events  that  occurred  in  this 
vicinity,  may  impress  us  with  the  interest  that  should  be  at- 
tached to  and  maintained  in  connection  with  historic  spots. 
The  East  and  West  shores  of  New  Haven  harbor  were  made 
historical  in  connection  with  the  American  Revolution.  In 
1895  this  Society  gathered  upon  Beacon  Hill,  Fort  Wooster 
Park,  on  the  East,  and  placed  a  tablet  in  memory  of  the 
American  patriots  who  resisted  the  invading  troops  on  that 
side.  Today  we  gather  upon  the  West  Shore,  not  to  place  a 
tablet,  but  in  a  social  way,  in  a  sort  of  family  reunion,  and 
incidentally  to  review  some  of  the  events  that  occurred 
along  the  West  coast  that  lies  at  our  feet. 

A  Defenders'  Monument  Association  has  been  formed, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  New  Haven  Colony  Historical 
Society,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  suitable  memorial 
where  the  cannon  were  placed  to  command  West  Bridge 
and  the  most  important  resistance  was  made.  The  Mem- 
orial group  selected  is  typical  of  those  who  took  part  in  the 
defense  as  regards  age  and  social  condition.  One  represents 


38  The  Defense  of  New  Haven 

the  citizen  soldier,  a  merchant  of  local  aristocracy  in  half 
Continental  uniform ;  one,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  the  other,  a 
young  student  at  Yale,  and  all  in  heroic  size.  The  group  is 
spirited  and  artistic.  When  completed  it  will  be  the  most 
notable  and  impressive  Revolutionary  memorial  erected 
in  our  State. 

The  actors  on  the  scene  we  have  contemplated  have 
gone,  but  the  spirit  that  animated  them  to  battle  for  their 
liberties  and  their  homes  is  the  same  that  has  inspired  men  to 
heroic  deeds  since  the  dawn  of  civilization.  The  members 
of  this  Society  especially  represent  the  heroes  of  that  period 
of  our  country's  history. 

As  England  cherishes  the  fame  of  her  Wellington  and 
Waterloo,  France  her  Napoleon  and  his  conquests,  as  Ger- 
many reveres  Frederick  the  Great,  at  rest  at  Sans  Souci, 
and  America  her  Washington,  Bunker  Hill  and  Yorktown, 
so  along  similar  lines  may  we  not  most  justly  honor  these 
men  of  lesser  fame,  who  in  their  time,  by  their  valor  and 
their  deeds  as  occasion  offered,  contributed  their  share  to 
the  grand  result, — American  Liberty  and  American  Pros- 
perity. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  DAVID  WOOSTER. 

From  a  portrait  in  his  early  life. 


DAVID  WOOSTER 


BY  A.  HEATON  ROBERTSON. 

Delivered  in  Grove  Street  Cemetery  at  the  Monument  to  General  Wooster,  at  the 
annual  meeting  ot  the  Branch,  June  26,  1910. 


When  one  sees  the  mighty  river,  bearing  on  its  bosom 
the  wealth  of  nations  and  lapping  with  its  wavelets  the 
mighty  machinations  of  man,  he  is  apt  to  forget  the 
springs  and  the  rivulets  without  which  it  would  have 
no  existence.  So,  too,  at  the  present  day,  to  one,  as  he 
looks  upon  this  country  of  ours,  stretching  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  and  covered  with  enterprises  more  varied  and 
undertakings  more  gigantic  than  any  land,  peopled  by 
representatives  of  every  nation  under  the  sun,  forming 
one  cosmopolitan  whole,  with  active  brain  and  cunning 
hand  excelled  by  none,  he  is  likewise  apt  to  forget  those 
men  who  years  ago  made  possible  this  country  and  that 
emancipation  of  the  human  race  which  never  has  been 
equalled  since  the  dawn  of  history.  Among  the  men  of 
Connecticut  who  contributed  to  all  that  we  and  humanity 
enjoy  to-day,  the  name  of  David  Wooster  stands  out 
as  one  of  the  beacon  lights  of  its  history. 

David  Wooster  was  born  in  that  part  of  the  town  of 
Stratford,  Connecticut,  which  is  now  Huntington,  about 
opposite  the  town  of  Derby,  on  the  2d  day  of  March, 
1710.  He  came  to  New  Haven  and  entered  Yale  College 
about  1734  or  1735,  and  graduated  in  a  class  of  fifteen 
in  1738,  three  years  later  receiving  his  degree  of  M.A. 
from  the  same  institution.  Immediately  after  gradua- 
tion, in  1739,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between 
England  and  Spain,  he  entered  the  army  as  lieutenant 
of  light  infantry,  but  I  find  no  record  that  he  ever  saw 
any  active  service  under  this  commission. 


40  David  Wooster 

The  Connecticut  Assembly,  at  its  session  in  1739-40, 
authorized  the  building  of  a  sloop  of  war  of  about  one 
hundred  tons,  the  war  between  England  and  France 
having  broken  out  afresh,  to  protect  the  coast  of  the 
colony,  and  in  May,  1741,  David  Wooster  was  appointed 
lieutenant  of  this  sloop.  In  1742,  he  was  advanced  to 
the  position  of  captain  in  the -infant  navy  of  the  Con- 
necticut colony,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  over 
two  years,  in  guarding  our  coast.  In  February,  1745, 
the  Connecticut  Assembly  passed  a  resolution,  after 
much  debate,  for  the  raising  of  five  hundred  men  to  take 
part  in  an  expedition  with  the  other  colonies  against 
Cape  Breton,  particularly  seeking  the  destruction  of 
Louisburg,  the  strongest  fortress  on  the  American  con- 
tinent, and  at  that  time  garrisoned  by  French  regulars. 
Wooster  was  appointed  Captain  of  one  of  the  companies 
of  this  levy,  resigned  his  commission  in  the  Colonial 
navy,  and  took  a  very  active  part  in  the  siege  of  Louis- 
burg,  in  the  regiment  of  Col.  Burr  of  Connecticut  and 
under  the  general  command  of  Sir  William  Pepperell, 
the  hero  of  Louisburg. 

So  useful  and  distinguished  were  his  services,  that 
to  him  was  assigned  the  honor  of  conducting  part  of  the 
prisoners  to  France  for  exchange.  At  the  siege  of  Louis- 
burg for  the  first  time  the  Colonial  army  met  the  disci- 
plined troops  of  Europe  and  showed  to  the  world  that 
they  were  not  inferior.  After  exchanging  his  prisoners, 
David  Wooster  went  to  England,  where  he  was  received 
with  no  little  attention  at  Court,  and  was  made  a  Cap- 
tain in  the  regular  service  of  Great  Britain,  and  stationed 
at  New  Haven  on  recruiting  service. 

He  married,  March  6,  1745,  Mary  Clapp,  the  daughter 
of  President  Clapp  of  Yale  College,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children, — two  of  whom  married — Thomas,  who  grad- 
uated at  Yale  in  1768,  who  also  served  as  an  officer  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  Mary,  who  married  the  Rev. 
John  O.  Ogden,  an  Episcopal  clergyman.  Mrs.  Ogden 


David  Wooster  41 

had  three  children,  who  died  unmarried.  Thomas  had 
seven  children,  one  of  whom,  Charles,  was  a  rear  admiral 
in  the  Chilian  navy.  He  was  married  and  left  one  son, 
Charles  Francis  Wooster,  a  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
army,  who  died  unmarried  in  1855,  and  was  the  last  lineal 
descendant  of  Gen.  David  Wooster,  the  other  children 
of  Thomas  having  died  without  children.  There  are  some 
descendants  living  of  the  brothers  of  Gen.  Wooster 's 
father,  among  whom  was  Col.  William  B.  Wooster  of 
Derby.  Mr.  C.  B.  Wooster  of  New  Haven  is  also  one  of 
the  descendants. 

On  the  declaration  of  peace  between  France  and  Eng- 
land, David  Wooster  retired  and  lived  in  New  Haven 
on  half  pay  as  an  officer  of  the  British  army,  at  the  same 
time  being  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  classmate,  Aaron  Day,  and  afterwards  alone. 
During  this  period  of  semi-peace,  he  founded  Hiram 
Lodge,  the  first  lodge  of  Freemasons  in  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, and  was  its  Grand  Master.  Wooster  Lodge  of 
New  Haven  was  named  in  his  honor.  He  lived  part  of 
the  time  on  George  Street  and  later  on  Wooster  Street, 
New  Haven,  which  was  named  for  him,  as  were  also 
Wooster  Square,  and  Fort  Wooster  on  East  Haven  heights. 

In  March,  1756,  when  the  Connecticut  Assembly  (war 
having  broken  out  again  between  England  and  France) 
raised  2,500  men  to  send  against  Crown  Point,  he  was 
appointed  Colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment  and  served 
in  the  campaign  which,  owing  to  the  incompetency  of 
the  English  leaders,  proved  a  failure.  In  1757,  he  repre- 
sented New  Haven  in  the  General  Assembly.  In  1759, 
at  the  request  of  Pitt,  the  Prime  Minister  of  England, 
whose  letter  was  read  to  the  General  Assembly,  5,000 
men  were  raised  to  serve  in  the  campaign  against  Canada, 
under  Amherst.  Wooster  served  as  Colonel,  and  some  of 
the  time  in  command  of  the  Connecticut  brigade,  during 
1759  and  1760  in  the  attack  on  Ticonderoga,  and  other 
battles  in  the  northern  campaign. 


42  David  Wooster 

On  the  declaration  of  peace,  in  1761,  he  returned  to 
New  Haven,  and  carried  on  a  successful  business  as  a 
merchant,  serving  some  of  the  time  as  Collector  of  Cus- 
toms of  the  port  of  New  Haven,  and  he  accumulated 
considerable  property  for  those  days. 

Immediately  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  British  army, 
and  at  the  special  session  of  the  General  Assembly,  which 
was  called  on  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  he  was 
commissioned  Major-General  of  the  Colony  forces,  the 
resolution  reading,  "from  his  proved  abilities,  well-known 
courage  and  great  experience."  He  was  present  on  the 
expedition  that  invaded  Canada  in  1775,  led  by  General 
Montgomery,  Wooster  being  one  who  affixed  his  name  to 
the  bond  of  indemnity  given  to  raise  money  to  equip 
Connecticut  troops.  His  troops  were  assembled  on  the 
Green  in  New  Haven,  previous  to  setting  out  on  the 
expedition.  Of  this  assembly,  Deacon  Nathan  Beers  of 
New  Haven,  himself  an  officer  in  the  Revolution,  said: 

"The  last  time  I  saw  General  Wooster  was  in  June,  1775;  he  was 
at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  which  was  then  embodied  on  the  Green, 
in  front  of  where  the  Center  Church  now  stands.  They  were  ready 
for  a  march,  with  their  arms  glittering  and  their  knapsacks  on  their 
backs.  General  Wooster  had  already  dispatched  a  messenger  for  his 
minister,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  with  a  request  that  he  would 
meet  the  regiment  and  pray  with  them  before  their  departure.  He 
then  conducted  his  men  in  military  order  into  the  meeting  house,  and 
seated  himself  in  his  own  pew  awaiting  the  return  of  the  messenger. 
He  was  speedily  informed  that  the  clergyman  was  absent  from  home. 
Colonel  Wooster  immediately  stepped  into  the  deacon's  seat  in  front 
of  the  pulpit,  and  calling  his  men  to  attend  to  prayers,  offered  up  a 
humble  petition  for  his  beloved  country,  for  himself,  and  the  men 
under  his  command,  and  for  the  success  of  the  cause  in  which  they 
were  engaged.  His  prayers  were  offered  with  the  fervent  zeal  of  an 
apostle,  and  in  such  pathetic  language  that  it  drew  tears  from  many 
an  eye  and  affected  many  a  heart.  When  he  had  closed,  he  left  the 
house  with  his  men,  in  the  same  order  they  had  entered  it,  and  the 
regiment  took  up  its  line  of  march  for  New  York.  With  such  a 
prayer  on  his  lips,  he  entered  the  Revolution." 

Wooster  was  present  at  the  capture  of  Fort 
Chambly,  where  he  showed  distinguished  ability;  also  at 


THE  GEN.   DAVID  WOOSTER  HOUSE. 

Formerly  on  south  side  of  George  Street  facing  College  Street. 


David  Wooster  43 

the  taking  of  Montreal,  and  at  the  attack  on  Quebec,  and 
on  the  death  of  Montgomery  in  the  latter  attack,  the 
chief  command  in  Canada  fell  upon  Wooster,  under  most 
disheartening  conditions.  His  relations  with  General 
Schuyler,  the  second  in  command,  were  most  unfortu- 
nate, and  charges  were  preferred  against  him  for  incom- 
petency  and  his  patriotism  was  doubted.  He  had,  in  the 
June  previous,  been  appointed  by  Congress  as  one  of  the 
eight  Brigadier  Generals  in  the  Continental  Army.  The 
charges  were  investigated  by  Congress  and  discharged 
as  groundless  and  unjust,  but  Wooster  never  forgot  the 
manner  in  which  he  was  treated.  The  Committee  re- 
ported in  August,  1776,  that  "  no  thing  censurable  or 
blameworthy  appears  against  Brigadier  General  Wooster," 
and  this  report  was  accepted.  Connecticut  showed  that 
her  confidence  in  Wooster's  ability  and  patriotism  was 
in  no  way  diminished,  for  in  October,  1776,  after  the 
report  of  Congress,  he  was  again  appointed,  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  Major  General  and  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Connecticut  militia,  and  was  assigned  to  the  duty 
of  protecting  the  southwestern  portion  of  Connecticut, 
which  was  threatened  by  the  British  troops. 

In  the  spring  of  1 777,  Sir  William  Howe  having  learned 
that  military  stores  were  deposited  at  or  near  Daribury, 
Connecticut,  he  sent  General  Tryon,  who  was  at  that 
time  Governor  of  New  York  and  a  general  in  the  British 
army,  with  a  detachment  of  2,000  men  to  march  on  to 
Danbury  and  capture  or  destroy  the  military  stores. 
Tryon  landed  at  Saugatuck  or  Westport  harbor  in  April, 
and  marched  on  towards  Danbury.  Wooster  was  in 
New  Haven  at  the  time,  and  hearing  of  it,  went  imme- 
diately, unattended  by  troops,  to  Danbury,  to  take  the 
chief  command,  leaving  orders  that  the  militia  should 
follow  him.  He  found  General  Silliman  in  command  of 
a  few  troops,  and  he  at  once  took  command.  His  forces 
consisted  of  a  few  hundred  undisciplined  men  and  less 
than  one  hundred  continental  troops.  Tryon,  with  little 


44  David  Wooster 

or  no  opposition,  had  reached  Danbury  and  destroyed 
the  stores  before  the  arrival  of  Wooster,  and  had  started 
on  his  return.  Wooster,  at  the  head  of  some  200  men, 
immediately  pursued  him,  and  coming  upon  him  near 
Ridgefield  made  a  vigorous  attack,  which  was  successful. 
Still  following  up  the  enemy,  he  made  another  attack, 
and  his  men  giving  way,  in  the  act  of  turning  to  urge 
them  on,  he  was  struck  in  the  small  of  the  back  by  a 
bullet  and  his  backbone  broken,  April  27th,  1777.  He 
was  removed  to  Danbury,  where  he  died  on  the  2d  of 
May,  1777,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age.  It  was  the  inten- 
tion to  bury  him  at  New  Haven,  but  owing  to  the  condi- 
tion of  his  body,  mortification  having  set  in  before  his 
death,  he  was  buried  at  Ridgefield.  When  the  surgeon, 
Dr.  Turner,  after  examining  General  Wooster,  informed 
him  that  his  wound  was  mortal,  he  received  the  news 
with  the  calmness  of  a  Christian  and  a  soldier.  He  desired 
that  Mrs.  Wooster  be  sent  for.  After  being  delirious  for 
three  days  and  suffering  great  agony,  he  passed  peace- 
fully away,  momentarily  recognizing  Mrs.  Wooster. 
Congress  resolved  the  next  month  that  a  monument 
costing  $500  be  erected  to  his  memory  "as  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  his  merit  and  services."  This  money  was 
never  expended,  but  in  1854,  a  monument  was  erected 
in  Ridgefield  to  his  memory,  by  contributions  from  the 
state,  the  masons  and  the  citizens  of  Danbury.  The  cost 
of  the  monument  was  over  $3,000.  The  General  Assem- 
bly appropriated  $1,500,  the  Masonic  Lodge  $1,000  and 
the  citizens  of  Danbury  the  remainder.  It  was  unveiled 
on  the  27th  of  April,  1854,  with  military,  masonic  and 
civic  ceremonies.  The  military  was  represented  by  the 
New  Haven  Blues,  the  Hartford  Light  Guard,  the  Bridge- 
port Washington  Guard,  the  Bridgeport  Montgomery 
Guard,  the  Bridgeport  Governor  Rifle  Co.,  and  the  Stam- 
ford Light  Guard.  The  Freemasons  were  represented 
by  Chancellor  Walworth,  the  Grand  master  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  New  York.  There  were  also  representatives 


David  Wooster  45 

from  the  Grand  Lodges  of  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut, 
Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  The  orator  of  the  day  was 
Hon.  H.  C.  Deming  of  Hartford,  who  wore  upon  his  per- 
son Wooster 's  sash,  which  he  had  on  at  the  time  he  was 
shot. 

On  the  monument  is  this  inscription : 

"David  Wooster, 

First  Maj.  Gen.  of  the  Conn.  Troops,  in  the  Army  of  the  Revolution; 
Brig.  Gen.  of  the  United  Colonies;  born  at  Stratford,  March  2,  1710-11. 
Wounded  at  Ridgefield,  April  27,1777,  while  defending  the  liberties 
of  America,  and  nobly  died  at  Danbury,  May  2d,  1777.  Of  his  country, 
Wooster  said:  'My  life  has  ever  been  devoted  to  her  service,  from  my 
youth  up,  though  never  before  in  a  cause  like  this:  a  cause  for  which 
I  would  most  cheerfully  risk — nay,  lay  down  my  life.'  " 

On  the  other  side,  the  Masonic  inscription  is  as  follows : 

"Brother  David  Wooster, 

impressed  while  a  stranger  in  a  foreign  land,  with  the  necessity  of 
some  tie  that  should  unite  all  mankind  in  a  UNIVERSAL  BROTHER- 
HOOD, he  returned  to  his  native  country,  and  procured  from  the 
Provincial  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts  a  Charter,  and  first  intro- 
duced into  Connecticut  that  light  which  has  warmed  the  widow's 
heart,  and  illumined  the  orphan's  pathway.  Under  the  Charter  of 
1750,  Hiram  Lodge  No.  i,  of  New  Haven,  was  organized,  of  which 
he  was  first  Worshipful  Master.  Grateful  for  his  services  as  the  Master 
Builder  of  the  oldest  Temple,  for  his  fidelity  as  a  Brother,  and  his 
renown  as  a  patriot  and  a  soldier,  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  have 
united  with  his  native  State  and  the  citizens  of  Danbury,  in'  rearing 
and  consecrating  this  Monument  to  his  memory.  Erected  at  Danbury, 
A.  L.  5854,  A.  D.  1854.  DAVID  CLARK,  Grand  Master." 

Wooster  not  only  devoted  his  life  and  services  to  the 
cause  of  the  American  Revolution,  but  expended  also  all 
his  private  means,  so  that  his  widow  was  left  penniless 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  stature,  he  was  tall  and  slim, 
courteous  and  dignified  in  manner,  a  man  with  a  high 
sense  of  public  duty,  a  consistent  Christian  and  a  devoted 
husband  and  father.  The  first  President  Dwight  of  Yale 
said  of  General  Wooster: 

"General  Wooster  was  a  brave,  generous-minded  man,  respectable 
for  his  understanding  and  for  his  conduct  both  in  public  and  private 
life,  ardent  in  his  friendships  and  his  patriotism,  diffusive  in  his  char- 
ities and  steadfast  in  his  principles;  he  was  long  a  professor  of  religion 
and  adorned  the  profession  by  an  irreproachable  and  exemplary  life." 


46  David  Wooster 

Truly  it  can  be  said  of  Wooster  that  he  lived  and  died 
"For  God,  for  country  and  for  Yale."  For  God,  by  his 
conspicuous  piety  and  religious  principles,  and  his  en- 
deavors and  death  in  the  cause  of  the  rights  of  humanity. 
For  country, 

"To  every  man  upon  this  earth 
Death  cometh  soon  or  late, 
And  how  can  man  die  better 
Than  facing  fearful  odds, 
For  the  ashes  of  his  fathers 
And  the  temples  of  his  gods?" 

For  Yale,  to  illustrate  by  his  life  and  death,  as  so  many 
of  Yale's  sons  have  done,  that  an  education  does  not 
unfit  men,  as  claimed  by  the  cheap  demagogues,  for 
business,  for  patriotism,  or  for  duty  in  any  walk  of  life, 
but  rather,  as  a  divine  fire,  urges  them  on  to  win  dis- 
tinction in  business,  finance,  statesmanship  and  martial 
achievements. 

Traduced  and  maligned  by  his  enemies,  he  proved  by 
his  life  and  death  their  utter  falsity.  The  life  of  Wooster 
and  those  who  fought  to  establish  our  national  indepen- 
dence and  to  make  possible  all  that  this  country  has 
accomplished  for  the  world  and  humanity,  should  ever 
be  to  us,  their  sons,  and  to  all,  of  whatever  race  or  con- 
dition, who  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  hardships  and  sacri- 
fices, an  inspiration  to  keep  the  fires  of  liberty  and  patri- 
otism burning.  Yea,  more  than  an  inspiration  —  a  duty 
to  keep  the  fires  of  liberty  ever  bright  and  to  see  that  our 
patriotism  is  pure  and  without  alloy,  so  that  when  this 
life  is  ended  and  our  little  day  is  done,  we  can  meet  them 
face  to  face  in  God's  great  to-morrow,  with  the  satisfac- 
tion of  having  done  our  duty  in  whatever  sphere  we  are 
called  to  labor. 

AUTHORITIES. 

Sanford's  History  of  Connecticut;  Hollister's  History  of  Connecticut;  Atwater's 
History  of  the  City  of  New  Haven;  Yale  Biographies  and  Annals,  Dexter;  Connecticut 
Colonial  Records;  Dwighfs  Travels  in  New  England  and  New  York;  Proceedings  at 
the  Completion  of  the  Wooster  Monument,  with  Oration  by  H.  C.  Deming,  and  New 
Haven  Palladium;  Barber's  Connecticut  Historical  Collections. 


COLONEL  JOHN  TRUMBULL. 


COL.  JOHN  TRUMBULL-THE  PATRIOT 
AND  ARTIST 


BY  SEYMOUR  C.  LOOMIS. 

An  address  delivered  on  the  annual  decoration  day  of  the  Gen.  David  Humphreys 
Branch,  S.  A.  R.,  June  27th,  1909,  in  the  Yale  Art  School,  where  the  Trumbull  Gallery 
is  now  located  and  Col.  Trumbull  and  his  wife  are  buried.  On  this  occasion  also,  a 
Revolutionary  Soldier's  Marker,  located  on  the  outside  of  the  building  over  the  grave, 
was  unveiled. 


There  are  few  persons  connected  with  the  American 
Revolution,  who  have  left  a  greater  impress  upon  suc- 
ceeding generations  than  Col.  John  Trumbull,  of  Con- 
necticut. He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  a  patron  and 
benefactor  of  Yale,  an  aide  of  General  Washington,  an 
exile  from  his  country,  confined  in  a  British  prison,  an 
artist  devoted  to  recording  in  immortal  colors  the  stir- 
ring and  commanding  scenes  which  surrounded  the 
natal  days  of  our  government,  and  a  man  whose  courtly 
ways  and  noble  instincts  place  him  in  the  foreground 
among  those  other  men  of  the  colonies  who  threw  off 
the  yoke  of  allegiance  to  Great  Britain  in  1776. 

John  Trumbull,  born  June  6,  1756,  was  the  son  of 
Jonathan  Trumbull,  of  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  the  only 
colonial  governor  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  who  re- 
tained his  office  during  the  years  that  followed.  Gov- 
ernor Trumbull  was  the  confidential  friend  and  adviser 
of  General  Washington,  by  whom  he  was  called  "Brother 
Jonathan,"  an  appellation  now  commonly  used  to  mean 
the  American  People.  The  Trumbulls  of  New  England 
were  well  known  for  their  integrity,  breadth  of  view, 
sound  sense  and  mental  capacity.  These  were  the  char- 
acteristics inherited  from  a  line  extending  back  to  Scot- 
land. To  these  natural  traits  were  added  the  education 
and  training  gained  in  the  schools  of  theory  and  of  ex- 
perience in  active  public  life.  Governor  Trumbull  and 


48        Col.  John  Trumbull — The  Patriot  and  Artist 

his  three  sons  Joseph,  Jonathan,  Jr.,  and  John  were  all 
prominent  revolutionists  from  the  beginning  and  took 
a  leading  part  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  A  fourth 
son,  David,  also  served  his  country  at  the  time  but  in 
a  less  prominent  way.  John,  the  youngest  of  the  three, 
graduated  at  the  age  of  seventeen  from  Harvard  in 
1773,  as  his  father  had  previously  done  in  1727.  He 
enlisted  immediately  after  the  Lexington  alarm  and  in 
April,  1775,  marched  with  others  from  his  native  town, 
to  the  defense  of  Boston.  General  Washington  upon 
assuming  command  was  attracted  to  Trumbull  by  a  plan 
of  Boston  and  the  surrounding  country,  which  Trumbull 
had  made  at  considerable  peril  to  himself.  Shortly  after 
this  incident  he  was  appointed  second  aide-de-camp 
upon  the  general's  staff,  the  first  being  Thomas  Mifflin, 
of  Philadelphia,  afterwards  President  of  Congress  in 
1783,  at  the  time  Washington  resigned  his  commission. 
Trumbull  remained  as  aide  for  a  short  time  only, 
and  then  was  chosen  major  of  a  brigade  at  Roxbury, 
where  the  excellence  of  his  service  was  noticed  by 
Adjutant-General  Gates,  by  whom  on  the  28th  of 
June,  1776,  he  was  appointed  deputy  adjutant-general 
with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  accepted  this  position  and 
entered  heartily  into  the  campaign.  There  was,  how- 
ever, an  unwarranted  delay  on  the  part  of  Congress  in  for- 
warding to  Trumbull  his  commission.  After  long  waiting 
it  was  finally  received,  but  to  his  great  surprise  and  dis- 
appointment, it  was  found  to  have  been  dated  in  Sep- 
tember, when  the  appointment  was  made  in  June.  This 
discrepancy  in  the  dates  permitted  several  other  men, 
whose  terms  of  service  had  been  shorter,  to  outrank 
Trumbull  in  military  standing.  Then  followed  a  series 
of  letters  by  Trumbull  and  his  friends  to  the  Conti- 
nental Congress.  The  treatment  accorded  to  him  is 
illustrated  in  a  remark  by  Hancock  when  Col.  Trumbull 
was  under  consideration,  the  substance  of  which  was, 
that  "the  Trumbull  family  has  already  been  well  pro- 


Col.  John  Trumbull — The  Patriot  and  Artist        49 

vided  for,"  alluding  to  the  high  positions  held  by  his 
father  and  two  brothers.  John  answered  this  remark 
laconically,  "We  are  sure  of  four  halters  if  we  do  not 
succeed."  He  tried  to  have  the  commission  corrected  but 
was  met  by  language  too  sharp  and  bitter  for  his  high 
sense  of  honor  to  countenance,  whereupon  he  resigned 
and  thus  ended  his  official  military  career.  This  was 
on  February  22,  1777,  about  two  years  after  his 
enlistment  in  April,  1775. 

Having  been  refused  his  commission  on  account  of 
jealousy,  which,  alas,  is  still  present  too  often  in  official 
life,  he  returned  to  his  native  town  of  Lebanon  to  resume 
the  art  with  which  by  nature  he  was  so  richly  endowed. 
Later  he  resolved  to  go  to  Europe  and  study  under  Ben- 
jamin West,  the  distinguished  American  artist.  Before 
leaving,  however,  he  could  not  resist  the  call  to  assist 
General  Sullivan  and  the  French  fleet  under  D'Estaing 
in  recovering  possession  of  Rhode  Island.  He  embarked 
for  Europe  in  May,  1780,  where  he  arrived  after  a  favor- 
able voyage  of  about  five  weeks.  In  Paris  he  visited 
Dr.  Franklin,  John  Adams  and  John  Quincy  Adams,  and 
also  Mr.  Strange,  the  eminent  engraver.  Then  he  set 
out  for  London,  where  he  took  up  his  permanent  resi- 
dence upon  the  understanding  with  the  British  govern- 
ment that  he  should  not  be  molested  for  his  previous 
acts  of  revolution  in  New  England  provided  he  avoided 
in  England  all  political  intervention.  He  kept  his  part 
of  the  contract,  but  the  retaliatory  spirit  of  the  men  then 
in  power  in  the  British  government  could  not  withstand 
the  temptation  of  persecuting  Trumbull  after  the  fate 
of  Major  Andr£  had  come  to  their  knowledge  in  the  fall 
of  1780.  Trumbull  was  seized  for  treason,  thrown  into 
prison,  and  was  closely  confined  for  seven  months. 

His  time,  however,  was  not  lost,  for  he  was  allowed 
to  work  with  his  pencil  and  brush,  and  among  other 
results  was  a  copy  of  a  "Correggio,"  which  now  hangs 
in  the  Trumbull  gallery  in  New  Haven.  During  his  in- 


50        Col.  John  Trumbull — The  Patriot  and  Artist 

carceration  he  also  became  well  acquainted  with  many 
of  the  leaders  of  the  liberal  party,  particularly  with 
Fox  and  Burke.  Even  at  this  distant  day  we  can  see 
this  fine  specimen  of  American  youth,  of  broad  mental 
and  physical  calibre,  confined  in  a  London  jail,  visited 
by  those  men  of  the  mother  country  who  saw  in  the 
American  colonies  the  beginnings  of  a  great  nation, 
whose  customs  and  heritages  were,  as  were  their  own, 
Anglo-Saxon,  whose  speech  was  the  same  and  whose 
cause  was,  in  their  opinion,  just.  These  men  saved 
Trumbull  and,  eventually,  their  influence  in  England 
prevented  further  warfare  after  the  surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis,  and  led  to  the  final  evacuation  of  New  York. 

Under  the  terms  of  his  release  from  prison  Trumbull 
was  obliged  to  leave  England  within  thirty  days.  He 
did  so  at  once  and  went  to  the  continent.  Under  direc- 
tions from  his  father,  the  governor,  he  tried  to  negotiate 
in  Holland  a  loan  for  Connecticut,  but  was  unable  to 
accomplish  it.  John  Adams  also  failed  at  the  same  time 
to  effect  one  for  the  nation.  Trumbull  then  sailed  for 
America,  where  he  arrived  in  January,  1782,  after  a  most 
perilous  voyage,  the  details  of  which  are  strikingly  set 
forth  in  his  "Reminiscences."  Upon  reaching  Lebanon 
he  was  taken  seriously  ill,  and  his  life  was  endangered. 
It  was  autumn  before  he  recovered.  He  then  went  to 
the  army  to  superintend  the  faithful  execution  of  the 
supply  contract,  and  was  thus  engaged  when  the  pre- 
liminary articles  of  peace  were  signed. 

After  the  war  was  over  he  was  ready  for  a  permanent 
occupation.  His  friends  made  business  offers,  which 
would  doubtless  have  proved  of  great  pecuniary  profit 
to  him,  but  he  felt  obliged  to  decline  them,  although  he 
was  entirely  without  financial  resources.  He  was  irre- 
sistibly led  to  his  art.  His  father  rather  objected,  and 
seeing  that  commercial  life  was  not  agreeable,  tried  to 
persuade  him  to  enter  the  profession  of  the  law,  but 
Trumbull  remained  steadfast,  and  in  December,  1783, 


, 

Jfc 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE  JULY  4TH,   1776. 

TRUMBULL'S  MASTERPIECE. 
From  the  original  painting  in  the  Trumbull  Gallery,  Yale  School  of  Fine  Arts. 


Col.  John  Trumbull — The  Patriot  and  Artist        51 

sailed  again  for  London.  Upon  arrival  there  he  went 
at  once  to  his  old  patron  and  teacher,  West,  at  whose 
house  he  applied  himself  by  day,  and  at  the  academy, 
at  night. 

It  was  then  that  he  formed  a  fixed  purpose  that  his 
art  should  be  of  some  benefit  to  his  country,  and  to  em- 
ploy in  her  behalf  the  talent  which  he  possessed.  He 
became  firm  in  his  determination  to  record  on  canvas  in 
a  way  which  should  thrill  the  hearts  of  men,  and  yet  be 
faithful  to  the  matters  and  facts  involved,  the  history 
of  the  events  which  he  had  known,  and  some  of  which 
his  own  eyes  had  witnessed.  First,  we  have  the  "Death 
of  General  Warren  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,"*  and 
of  "General  Montgomery  at  the  Attack  on  Quebec." 
Then  followed  the  "Declaration  of  Independence,"  which 
was  done  at  enormous  expense  of  time,  because  of 
TrumbuH's  requirement  of  himself  that  each  figure  in 
his  historical  paintings  should  be  a  true  likeness  of  the 
person  represented.  It  was  no  easy  task  to  arrange  the 
composition,  but  to  obtain  individual  sittings  from  the 
forty-eight  different  men,  who  had  signed  that  immortal 
document,  and  who  had  then  become  scattered  over 
this  country  and  Europe,  was  at  that  time  a  large 
undertaking.  Some  had  died.  Theirs  were  omitted  be- 
cause Trumbull  required  a  correct  portrait.  Jefferson's 
was  done  in  Paris,  Adams'  in  London,  that  of  Rutledge 
in  Charleston,  and  so  on.  The  groupings,  the  color,  the 
perspective  and  the  spirit  in  each  face,  prove  that  the 
artist's  work  was  commensurate  with  the  importance 
of  the  subject.  It  is  called  TrumbuH's  masterpiece,  and 
with  the  "Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,"  and  "Death  of  Mont- 
gomery" hangs  with  most  of  his  other  best  works  in  the 
Trumbull  gallery  in  the  Yale  School  of  the  Fine  Arts, 
in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  a  contract  made  by 
Trumbull  with  Yale  College  in  1831,  under  which  he  was 
to  turn  over  to  the  college  his  paintings,  in  consideration 

*  A  reproduction  of  this  picture  appears  facing  page  91  of  this  volume. 


52         Col.  John  Trumbull — The  Patriot  and  Artist 

of  an  annuity  of  one  thousand  dollars  a  year.  This  he 
drew  for  twelve  years  until  his  death  in  1843.  The  con- 
sideration was  not  the  equivalent  in  value  of  the  paint- 
ings, and  Trumbull  intended  it  to  be,  as  it  in  fact  was, 
a  gift  to  Yale,  taking  to  himself  the  small  annuity  only 
because  it  was  needed  for  his  own  subsistence. 

Among  his  other  paintings  are  the  "Sortie  from  Gib- 
raltar," representing  the  gallant  conduct  and  death  of 
the  Spanish  commander  in  1781,  the  "Surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis"  at  Yorktown,  "The  Surrender  of  Burgoyne"  at 
Saratoga,  "Washington  Resigning  His  Commission" 
at  Annapolis,  "The  Battle  of  Princeton,"  and  the  "Cap- 
ture of  the  Hessians"  at  Trenton.  The  portraits  of  Gen- 
eral Washington  and  of  Alexander  Hamilton  in  the  Yale 
gallery  are  remarkable;  especially  the  one  of  Hamilton 
which,  it  is  said,  reflects  the  spirit  of  that  statesman 
better  than  any  other  in  existence.  We  may  also  men- 
tion the  portraits  of  his  father,  Governor  Jonathan 
Trumbull,  Captain  Thomas  Seymour,  President  Dwight 
the  elder,  and  Oliver  Ellsworth,  which  are  at  New  Haven; 
also  the  portraits  of  Washington,  Chief  Justice  Jay, 
Governor  Clinton  and  General  Hamilton  now  in  the 
common  council  room  at  the  City  Hall  in  New  York 
City.  Engravings  of  his  "Declaration"  and  others  of  his 
earlier  paintings  were  made  by  Miiller  of  Stuttgart  and 
were  subscribed  for  by  the  leading  men  of  this  country 
and  of  Europe. 

Trumbull' s  choicest  works  were  done  prior  to  1796, 
that  is,  before  the  forty-first  year  of  his  age.  At  that 
time  he  became  a  member  of  the  commission  appointed 
for  the  execution  of  the  seventh  article  of  the  treaty 
negotiated  by  Mr.  Jay  between  England  and  the  United 
States.  That  article  related  to  claims  for  damage  done 
to  American  commerce  because  of  illegal  captures  by 
British  cruisers.  Trumbull's  residence  and  growing  influ- 
ence abroad  made  him  peculiarly  qualified  for  that  office, 


Col.  John  Trumbull — The  Patriot  and  Artist        53 

and  he  felt  he  must  accept  it.  The  work  of  the  commis- 
sion was  not  finished  until  1804. 

In  1800  he  married,  and  the  portrait  of  his  wife  is 
now  in  the  New  Haven  gallery.  After  her  death  in  1824, 
he  said  of  her,  "she  was  the  perfect  personification  of 
truth  and  sincerity,  wise  to  counsel,  kind  to  console — 
by  far  the  most  important  and  better  moral  half  of  me, 
and  withal  beautiful  beyond  the  usual  beauty  of  women." 

In  1816  he  was  requested  by  Congress  and  by  Presi- 
dent Madison,  who  made  the  choice  of  subjects,  to  paint  for 
the  National  Capitol  the  "Declaration  of  Independence," 
the  "Surrender  of  Burgoyne,"  the  "Surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis"  and  "Washington  Resigning  His  Commission." 
They  are  copies  from  the  ones  now  in  the  New  Haven 
gallery  but  of  much  larger  size.  The  originals  are  about 
twenty  inches  by  thirty  inches  and  the  copies  twelve 
feet  by  eighteen  feet,  and  the  figures  life  size.  He  was 
eight  years  in  painting  them  and  received  thirty-two 
thousand  dollars  from  the  government,  and  finally  hung 
them  by  his  own  hand  in  the  rotunda  of  the  National 
Capitol,  where  they  still  remain.  Replicas  subsequently 
painted  by  him  may  also  be  found  in  the  Wadsworth 
Athenaeum  at  Hartford  and  in  the  State  House  at  Annap- 
olis and  elsewhere.  While  the  copies  and  replicas  are 
interesting  from  an  historical  standpoint,  they  lack  the 
highly  artistic  qualities  possessed  by  the  originals. 

Trumbull  was  instrumental  in  founding  the  Academy 
of  Fine  Arts  in  New  York  and  was  its  president  from 
1816  to  1825.  He  spent  his  last  years  in  New  Haven 
with  the  elder  Prof.  Silliman,  who  lived  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Hillhouse  Avenue  and  what  was  then  called 
New  Street,  now  Trumbull  Street,  named  in  his  honor. 
The  house  has  since  been  moved  to  the  rear  part  of 
Prof.  Silliman's  lot,  and  faces  Trumbull  Street.  Trum- 
bull died  on  November  loth,  1843,  in  New  York  City, 
where  he  was  on  a  visit.  His  body  was  brought  to  New 
Haven  and  buried  beside  his  wife  under  the  old  Trum- 


54        Col.  John  Trumbull — The  Patriot  and  Artist 

bull  gallery,  which  then  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  pres- 
ent university  campus,  and  was  afterwards  used  for  the 
president's  and  treasurer's  office.  In  1864,  the  art  school 
building  was  erected  and  the  remains  of  Trumbull  and 
his  wife  were  interred  under  that  structure.  A  suitable 
tablet  in  the  basement  and  an  inscription  on  the  outer 
wall  mark  his  grave,  whereon  it  is  truly  stated  that  he 
was  a  Patriot  and  Artist.  He  gave  his  best  life  work  to 
the  college  and  through  it  to  the  country  at  large. 


THE  NOAH  WEBSTER  HOUSE. 

On  the  Southwest  Corner  of  Temple  and  Grove  Streets,  now  Standing. 


NOAH  WEBSTER 


BY  GEORGE  HARE  FORD. 

Address  delivered  at  the  grave  of  Noah  Webster  in  the  Grove  Street  Cemetery, 
New  Haven,  June  fifteenth,  1902. 

All  nations  have  their  honored  rolls  of  soldiers  and 
patriots  whose  fame  they  perpetuate  by  monuments  and  by 
recounting  their  achievements.  In  France,  homage  is  regu- 
larly paid  to  the  piety  and  heroism  of  the  Maid  of  Orleans. 
England  bids  her  sculptors  carve  for  Westminster  Abbey  the 
images  of  her  great  men.  On  the  heathered  hills  of  Scot- 
land, the  sword  of  Wallace  is  yet  a  bright  tradition.  On 
the  soft  blue  waters  of  the  Lake  of  Lucerne  stands  the 
chapel  of  William  Tell,  and  in  each  July  on  the  anniversary 
of  his  revolt,  boat  loads  of  representatives  of  the  Allied 
Cantons,  with  the  banner  of  the  republic  hanging  from  the 
bow,  visit  the  sacred  spot  and  chant  their  National  Hymns. 
America  decorates  the  graves  of  those  who  established  its 
government  and  of  those  likewise  who  maintained  its 
honor  and  integrity,  and  by  whispers  from  the  past,  the 
nation  tells  how  precious  are  the  memories  of  her  founders 
and  defenders. 

The  General  David  Humphreys  Branch,  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  are  conspicuously  honored  in  having 
on  their  roster  the  names  of  so  many  eminent  men  of  both 
local  fame  and  national  renown,  conspicuous  not  only  for 
their  revolutionary  service,  but  known  to  the  world  at  large 
for  their  learning  and  ability.  In  the  Grove  Street  Ceme- 
tery the  bronze  emblem  of  this  society  has  been  placed  upon 
the  graves  of  125  soldiers  and  patriots  of  our  war  for 
independence  who  served  their  country  then,  and  whom  we 
honor  now  each  year  by  assembling  on  the  Sunday  preced- 
ing Bunker  Hill  Day,  recalling  at  the  grave  of  some  dis- 
tinguished patriot,  his  services  and  placing  our  wreath  with 
ceremony  on  his  grave;  and  detailing  members  of  the  so- 


56  Noah  Webster 

ciety  to  perform  the  latter  service  upon  the  graves  of  all  our 
honored  dead. 

Noah  Webster  was  a  descendant  of  John  Webster,  of 
Warwickshire,  England,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1635 
and  was  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Connecticut  at  Hart- 
ford. He  took  part  in  the  Pequot  war,  was  a  member  of 
the  Colonial  Council  and  the  fourth  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut.  On  his  mother's  side  Noah  Webster  descended 
from  William  Bradford,  one  of  the  founders  and  the  second 
Governor  of  the  Plymouth  colony.  One  year  previous  to 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  he  came  to  New 
Haven  and  entered  Yale  College.  On  the  following  April, 
almost  before  the  echoing  notes  of  Paul  Revere's  alarm 
had  faded  away  and  the  Second  Company  Governor's  Foot 
Guard  had  marched  to  Lexington,  "there  was  speedily  or- 
ganized in  New  Haven,"  as  Blake  tells  us,  "two  companies 
of  house-holders,  one  company  of  artillery,  and  one  com- 
pany of  Yale  students,"  in  which  enterprise  Noah  Webster 
took  a  most  active  part.  The  first  duty  of  the  battalion,  it  is 
proudly  recorded,  was  that  of  acting  as  escort  to  General 
Washington,  when  he  was  on  his  way  in  July,  1775,  to  take 
command  of  the  Continental  Army.  Reviewing  these 
youthful  soldiers  on  the  New  Haven  Green  with  his  staff 
officer,  General  Washington  made  a  brief  address  and  com- 
plimented them  upon  their  efficiency  and  patriotism,  and 
was  then  escorted  by  them  to  the  limit  of  the  city  with  Noah 
Webster  at  the  head  of  the  column. 

When  the  western  part  of  Connecticut  was  thrown  into 
confusion  by  Burgoyne's  expedition,  Webster  left  his  col- 
lege course  and  entered  the  Continental  Army  in  the  detach- 
ment under  the  command  of  his  father,  Capt.  Webster.  In 
this  campaign  all  the  male  members  of  this  family,  four  in 
number,  were  in  the  army.  Notwithstanding  this  interrup- 
tion, he  completed  his  studies  and  graduated  in  1778,  with 
others  of  Revolutionary  and  public  fame,  such  as  Joel  Bar- 
low, Minister  to  the  Court  of  France,  Oliver  Wolcott,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury  under  Washington,  and  afterwards 


Noah  Webster  57 

Governor  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  others  who  in 
later  years  served  their  country  with  great  distinction  and 
honor. 

It  is  said  that  when  Webster  returned  home  from  grad- 
uation his  father  gave  him  $8.00  in  Continental  cur- 
rency and  advised  him  that  he  must  rely  upon  his  own 
exertions  in  the  future.  To  secure  his  education  for  the  bar, 
he  accomplished  a  famous  work,  "Webster's  Spelling  Book," 
which  was  the  stepping  stone  to  his  most  distinguished 
achievement,  presenting  it  to  the  inspection  of  the  members 
of  the  Continental  Congress,  who  stamped  upon  it  their  ap- 
proval and  encouraged  him  to  further  efforts  by  awarding 
him  a  copyright  for  its  protection,  while  Governor  Trumbull 
of  Connecticut  risked  more  than  the  whole  amount  of  his 
property  for  its  publication. 

It  was  while  prosecuting  the  study  of  law,  that  Webster 
began  from  time  to  time  to  note  down  every  word  whose 
meaning  he  did  not  properly  understand  which  led  him  to 
conceive  the  scheme  of  preparing  and  publishing  a  new 
dictionary  to  supply  the  place  of  the  famous  English  dic- 
tionary by  Johnson,  which  had  been  in  use  for  seventy  years 
with  scarcely  any  improvement.  Comprehension  of  the  far 
reaching  result  attained  may  be  realized  when  we  contem- 
plate that  the  many  editions  of  Webster's  dictionary,  a  few 
years  since  reached  into  millions  of  copies  of  this  great 
work. 

Not  long  since  the  principal  bookseller  in  London  was 
asked  for  the  best  English  dictionary  and  the  work  of  Noah 
Webster  was  handed  the  enquirer  with  the  reply  "that,  sir, 
is  the  only  real  dictionary  we  have  of  the  English  language, 
although  it  was  prepared  by  an  American."  One  eminent 
historian  has  said  "it  is  a  noble  monument  of  the  industry 
and  research  of  the  author  and  an  honor  to  his  country." 

By  most  of  the  present  generation,  Dr.  Webster  is 
looked  upon  chiefly  as  a  learned  collegian,  and  the  reputa- 
tion of  his  grammar  and  dictionary  encourages  the  im- 
pression that  his  time  was  devoted  to  books  and  studies 


58  Noah  Webster 

only.  On  the  contrary  he  was  active  in  many  other  capaci- 
ties. He  was  an  alderman  of  the  city  of  New  Haven,  repre- 
sented his  town  in  the  Legislature,  was  a  Judge  in  the  State 
Courts,  and  in  1808  was  an  active  member  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  He  prepared  a  memorial  of  4,000  words  to 
President  Jefferson  in  reference  to  fostering  the  growth  of 
manufacturing  in  this  country,  with  a  view  to  rendering  the 
people  independent  of  foreign  nations.  Agitating  the  water 
question,  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  a  committee  to  build 
the  first  aqueduct  in  New  Haven  and  he  entered  with  zeal 
into  all  matters  of  public  welfare  relating  to  government, 
schools  and  commerce.  His  advice  was  sought  on  a  great 
variety  of  subjects.  He  gave  freely  of  his  efforts  from  his 
pen.  It  is  said  that  he  made  to  Washington  the  first  distinct 
proposal  for  a  new  constitution  and  that  his  works  did  more 
to  allay  popular  discontent  and  support  the  authority  of 
Congress  than  that  of  any  other  man.  He  wrote  upon  a 
greater  variety  of  topics  than  any  other  author  in  the  United 
States,  especially  upon  such  subjects  as  the  foundation  of 
government,  the  laws  of  the  nation,  the  science  of  banking, 
the  history  of  the  country,  the  progress  of  disease,  the  varia- 
tions of  the  climate,  and  on  agriculture,  education,  religion 
and  morals. 

In  .personal  appearance  and  presence  he  was  distin- 
guished by  dignified  ease,  affability  and  politeness  with 
refinement  manifest  in  all  his  expression  of  feeling.  He  was 
annoyed  at  notice  of  his  observances  of  all  the  nicer  proprie- 
ties of  life,  and  was  direct,  frank  and  open,  but  never  allow* 
ing  any  sentiment  to  escape  him  on  any  occasion  that  was 
not  most  courteous  and  refined. 

He  lived  in  this  community,  in  the  house  now  standing 
on  the  corner  of  Temple  and  Grove  streets,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  Grove 
Street  Cemetery. 

It  can  be  truly  said  of  him  "That  he  was  known  and 
read  of  all  men." 


GENERAL  DAVID  HUMPHREYS 


BY  ALONZO  NORTON  LEWIS,  M.A. 

The  following,  found  with  the  manuscript  after  the  death  of  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis,  is 
self-explanatory : 

"This  sketch  of  General  Humphreys  was  read  before  the  'General  David  Hum- 
phreys' Branch  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution'  in  1893.  In  February,  1895 . 
the  writer  was  asked  to  furnish  a  copy  for  publication.  Having  mislaid  (or  destroyed) 
the  manuscript,  he  has  been  obliged  to  reproduce  it. 

It  seems  strange  that  no  Life  of  General  Humphreys  has  ever  been  written.*  The 
writer  lays  no  claim  to  originality  in  this  sketch,  having  compiled  most  of  the  material 
from  an  excellent  History  of  the  Humphreys  Family  by  Frederick  Humphreys,  M.D. 

A.  N.  LEWIS, 

Member  of  the  S.  A.  R.    and 
Chaplain  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati  in  Connecticut. 
New  Haven,  February  13,  1895." 


The  Humphreys  family  may  be  traced  back  to  the 
Norman  Conquest.  Among  the  brave  warriors  who 
followed  William  the  Conqueror  from  Normandy  in  1066, 
we  find  Sir  Robert  de  Umprevillet  Knight,  "his  Kins- 
man," Lord  of  Tours  and  Vian:  Humphrey  de  Carteret, 
whose  son  Regnaud  de  Carteret  accompanied  Duke 
Robert  to  the  Holy  Land.  Humphrey,  Lord  of  Rohan, 
who  seems  to  have  been  related  to  the  Conqueror,  and 
whose  descendants  were  Hereditary  Constables  of  Eng- 
land, and  subsequently  Earls  of  Hereford,  Essex  and 
Northampton.  There  were  also  Humfrey  of  Tilleul,  the 
Warden  of  Hasting's  Castle,  io66-'67;  Humfrey,  the 
King's  Seneschal, t  killed  in  the  storming  of  the  Castle 
at  Le  Maur,  1073;  and  Humfrey  the  Priest,  who  was 
living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Battle  Abbey  prior  to  1087. 

*  After  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis  wrote  the  above,  a  sketch  of  General  Humphreys'  life  was 
prepared  by  Rev.  Edwin  S.  Lines,  and  has  been  printed  in  the  second  volume  issued 
by  the  Branch.  See  "Exercises  at  Unveiling  of  Tablet  on  Beacon  Hill,"  etc.,  page  45. 

t  Humphreysville  was  rightly  named. 

J  Marshal,  steward,  or  major-domo. 


60  General  David  Humphreys 

In  the  "Doomsday  Book,"  one  of  the  most  ancient 
records  of  England,  the  name  "Hunfridus"  frequently 
occurs. 

Members  of  the  Humphrey  family  were  engaged  in 
the  Crusades.  Peter  d' Amfreville,  1197;  Le  Sire 
d' Umfraville,  and  L.  S.  D'Omfrei,  1091. 

In  i34o-'9o  Humphrey  coats  of  arms  (then  spelled 
Humfrey)  were  in  existence  and  duly  recorded. 

The  cross  bottony,  or  "budded  cross,"  is  used  as  the 
crest,  or  as  the  central  figure,  in  several  of  the  Humphrey 
arms.  These  Crusader  crosses  were  the  marks  of  distinc- 
tion awarded  or  allowed  to  the  Knights  who  had  borne 
arms  in  the  "Holy  Wars,"  or  wars  for  the  recovery  of 
the  Holy  Sepulcher.  The  escallop  shell  upon  a  coat  of 
arms  also  indicates  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land.  The 
bezants  were  heavy  gold  coins  of  the  value  of  15  pounds 
sterling  ($75.00)  which  were  used  for  the  ransom  of 
Christian  captives  taken  by  the  infidels  in  the  Holy  Wars, 
and  held  in  captivity,  and  indicate  the  large  use  of  this 
money  (by  the  Humphreys)  for  this  purpose. 

II 

The  predominant  mental  trait  of  the  family  is  self- 
reliance,  to  the  extreme  of  rashness,  or  the  neglect  of 
ordinary  prudence  in  their  ventures.  The  Humphreys 
have  always  responded  "prodigally"  to  a  call  to  arms. 

Other  traits  noted  are  readiness  of  acquisition,  and 
ready  adaptation  to  circumstances.  They  learn  readily 
and  retain  easily;  succeed  as  professional  men,  not  so 
well  as  tradesmen.  Says  Dr.  Frederick  Humphreys,  "I 
have  known  none  as  mere  mechanics.  They  sometimes 
learn  trades,  but  never  work  at  them." 

Another  characteristic  is  an  artistic  temperament, 
indicated  in  a  delicate,  almost  feminine  cast  of  features; 
and  facility  of  language.  Almost  all  the  Humphreys 
are  good  talkers,  story-tellers  and  speakers. 


General  David  Humphreys  61 

Goodness  of  heart  is  another  characteristic.  "It  has 
been  stamped,"  says  Judge  Barbour  of  Hartford,  "upon 
the  countenance,  giving  what  has  been  called  the  'Hum- 
phrey look.'  ' 

The  Humphreys  are  a  prolific  stock.  Large  families 
are  the  rule,  especially  in  the  olden  time.  The  men  are 
tall,  of  a  clear  countenance  and  large  of  stature,  unless 
their  mothers  are  of  small  stock.  The  women  are  noted 
for  vivacity,  intelligence  and  pleasing  address,  their  sons 
often  manifesting,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  the  prominent 
family  traits. 

Ill 

The  name  has  been  spelled  various  ways.  Amfre- 
ville,  Anfray,  Anfrie,  Homfray  (French,  homme  vrai, 
i.  e.,  true  man),  Hunffreys  (Welch),  Humfrey,  Humph- 
rys,  Humphery,  Hunpheirs,  Humphreys,  Humphry,  Hun- 
fridus,  Hunfredus,  Humfroi,  Homfrey,  Hunfrey,  Hum- 
frauvils,  Humfrestone  (Humphry's  town?)  and  Hum- 
phrey: Onfray,  D'  Omfrei:  Umfrauvill,  Umfreville, 
Umfraville,  Umfravill,  Umphraville,  Umfray,  Umphrey, 
Umphrastown  (Humphrey's  town?)  and  Umfrevile. 

IV 

General  David  Humphreys,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  was  born 
July  loth,  1752,  at  Derby,  Connecticut.  As  a  boy  he  was 
decidedly  "bookish,"  "passionately  so,"  says  the  author 
to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  much  of  the  material  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  fitted,  under  the  tuition  of  his  father, 
for  Yale  College,  which  he  entered  in  1767;  graduating 
in  1771  with  distinguished  honors,  at  the  early  age  of 
nineteen.  Dr.  Daggett  was  the  President,  whose  regime 
exhibits  the  most  brilliant  display  of  eminent  names 
furnished  by  the  Catalogue  of  Yale.  Trumbull,  Dwight, 
Humphreys,  and  a  little  later,  Barlow.  With  the  caustic 
satire  of  Trumbull,  the  noble  songs  of  Dwight  and  the 
elaborate  effusions  of  Barlow,  were  mingled  the  patri- 
otic effusions  of  Humphreys. 


62  General  David  Humphreys 

After  his  graduation  (1771),  he  resided  for  a  short 
time  (as  instructor)  in  the  distinguished  and  courtly 
family  of  Col.  Phillips  of  Phillips  Manor,  West  Chester 
Co.,  N.  Y.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution  he 
entered  the  army,  in  his  24th  year,  as  Captain,  and  was 
speedily  promoted  Major  in  General  Israel  Putnam's 
Brigade.  Soon  after,  he  became  aide-de-camp  to  Put- 
nam, a  confidential  position  which  was  a  high  compli- 
ment to  the  young  soldier,  and  considered  a  very  im- 
I^rtant  one,  both  in  field  and  cabinet  service.  In  this 
capacity  he  was  present  in  the  memorable  retreat  from 
New  York  after  the  Battle  of  Long  Island,  August  27th, 
1776,  and  at  the  affair  of  Harlem  Heights. 

Major  Humphreys  was  Brigade  Major  of  the  ist 
Connecticut  Brigade  on  Hudson  Highlands  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1777,  when  the  British  captured  Forts  Clinton 
and  Montgomery.  He  was  also  aide  for  a  time  to  Gen. 
Greene.  Early  in  1780  he  was  appointed  aide  and  Mili- 
tary Secretary  to  Gen.  Washington,  with  the  rank  of 
Lieut. -Colonel,  and  soon  after  became  a  member  of  the 
General's  military  family,  remaining  until  the  end  of  the 
War,  enjoying  his  full  confidence,  and  sharing  the  toils 
of  his  arduous  duties.  He  alludes  to  his  association  with 
three  distinguished  generals  in  his  "Poem  on  the  Happi- 
ness of  America." 

"I,  too,  perhaps,  should  Heav'n  prolong  my  date, 
The  oft-repeated  tale  shall  oft  relate ; 
Shall  tell  the  feelings  in  the  first  alarms, 
Of  some  bold  enterprise  th'  unequalled  charms ; 
Shall  tell  from  whom  I  learned  the  martial  art, 
With  what  high  chiefs  I  played  my  early  part ; 
With  Parsons*  first,  whose  eye,  with  piercing  ken, 
Reads  thro'  their  hearts  the  characters  of  men; 
Then  how  I  aided,  in  the  following  scene, 
Death-daring  Putnam — then  immortal  Greene — 
Then  how  great  Washington  my  youth  approved, 
In  rank  preferr'd,  and  as  a  parent  loved; 
(For  each  fine  feeling  in  his  bosom  blends 
The  first  of  heroes,  sages,  patriots,  friends^ 

*  Brig.  Gen'l  Parsons  of  Connecticut. 


General  David  Humphreys  63 

With  him  what  hours  on  warlike  plains  I  spent, 
Beneath  the  shadow  of  th'  imperial  tent; 
With  him  how  oft  I  went  the  nightly  round, 
Thro'  moving  hosts,  or  slept  on  tented  ground; 
From  him  how  oft — (nor  far  below  the  first* 
In  high  behests  and  confidential  trust) 
From  him  how  oft  I  bore  the  dread  commands, 
Which  destin'd  for  the  fight  the  eager  bands: 
With  him  how  oft  I  pass'd  the  eventful  day, 
Rode  by  his  side,  as  down  the  long  array, 
His  awful  voice  the  columns  taught  to  form, 
To  point  the  thunder,  and  to  pour  the  storm." 

He  proved  himself  an  efficient  and  worthy  officer  on 
the  Staff  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  and  especially  at 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  where  he  had  a  separate  com- 
mand. When  Lord  Cornwallis  surrendered,  October  19, 
1781,  Col.  Humphreys  had  the  distinguished  honor  of 
receiving  the  English  colors,  and  as  a  mark  of  approba- 
tion, bearing  them  from  Washington  to  Congress,  with 
copies  of  the  returns  of  prisoners,  arms,  ordnance,  and 
25  stands  of  colors  surrendered,  with  a  letter  from  the 
Commander-in-Chief  commending  the  bearer  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Government,  f 

Congress  ordered  "an  elegant  sword  to  be  presented, 
in  the  name  of  the  United  States  in  Congress,  to  Col. 
Humphreys,  to  whose  care  the  standards  taken  under 
the  capitulation  of  York  (sic)  were  committed,  as  a 
testimony  of  their  opinion  of  his  fidelity:  and  that  the 
Board  of  War  take  order  therein."  In  1786  this  order 
was  carried  into  effect,  and  the  sword  presented  by  Gen. 
Knox,  then  Secretary  of  War,  accompanied  by  a  highly 
complimentary  letter. 

In  November,  1782,  he  was  commissioned  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel, the  commission  to  bear  date  from  the  23d 
of  June,  17 — ,  when  he  was  appointed  aide-de-camp 
to  Washington. 

While  in  the  service  Col.  Humphreys  had  given  his 

*  First  was  then  pronounced  "fust." 

t  Col.  Humphreys  had  a  picture  executed  in  Spain,  portraying  his  delivery  of  the 
trophies  of  Yorktown  to  Congress. 


64  General  David  Humphreys 

name  and  influence  to  the  establishment  of  a  company 
of  colored  infantry  which  was  attached  to  Col.  Meigs', 
afterwards  Col.  Butler's,  Regiment  of  the  Connecticut 
Line,  of  which  he  continued  nominal  Captain  during  the 
War.  Jethro  Martin,  a  colored  servant  (slave?)  of  Col. 
Humphreys,  received  a  pension  for  many  years  on  ac- 
count of  his  military  service. 

In  May,  1782,  we  find  the  names  of  David  Humphreys, 
Aide-de-Camp,  and  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Jr.,  Secretary, 
officially  endorsed  upon  a  copy  of  Gen.  Washington's 
reply  to  a  letter  of  Col.  Nicola,  proposing  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Kingdom,  and  suggesting  the  title  of  King  to 
the  illustrious  Commander-in-Chief . 

Preliminaries  of  peace  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  having  been  settled  in  November,  1782, 
hostilities  were  suspended.  In  December,  1783,  Washing- 
ton resigned  his  commission  at  Annapolis,  being  attended 
on  that  occasion  by  Col.  Humphreys,  who  by  special 
request  accompanied  him  to  Mount  Vernon.  His  friend 
Barlow  alludes  to  this  event  in  his  " Vision  of  Columbus." 

"While  Freedom's  cause  his  patriot  bosom  warms, 
In  lore  of  nations  skilled,  and  brave  in  arms, 
See  Humphreys  glorious  from  the  field  retire, 
Sheathe  the  glad  sword,  and  string  the  sounding  lyre — 
That  lyre,  which  erst,  in  hours  of  dark  despair, 
Roused  the  sad  realms  to  urge  th'  unfinished  war: 
O'er  fallen  friends,  with  all  the  strength  of  woe, 
His  heart-felt  sighs  in  moving  numbers  flow. 
His  country's  wrongs,  her  duties,  dangers,  praise, 
Fire  his  full  soul,  and  animate  his  lays. 
Immortal  Washington  with  joy  shall  own 
So  fond  a  favorite  and  so  great  a  son." 

In  May,  1784,  Col.  Humphreys  was  elected  by  Con- 
gress Secretary  to  the  "Commission  for  Negotiating  Treaties 
of  Commerce  with  Foreign  Powers,"  the  Committee  being 
John  Adams,  then  Minister  to  Holland,  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, Minister  to  France,  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  whom  he 
accompanied  in  July  of  the  same  year  to  Europe.  Gen. 
Kosciusko,  also,  was  his  compagnon  du  voyage. 


9 


FACSIMILE    OF    WASHINGTON'S     AUTOGRAPHIC    LETTER   INTRODUCING 

COL.  HUMPHREYS  TO  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN,   UNITED 

STATES  MINISTER  TO  FRANCE. 

The  text  of  the  letter  is  as  follows: 

Mout  Vernon   2d  June   1784. 
Dear  Sir; 

Congress  having  been  pleased  to  appoint  Colo  Humphreys  Secretary  to 
the  Commissioners,  for  framing  Commercial  Treaties  in  Europe;  I  take  the  liberty  of 
introducing  him  to  you. — 

This  Gentleman  was  several  years  in  my  family  as  an  Aid  de  Camp. — His  zeal  in 
the  cause  of  his  Country  his  good  sense,  prudence,  and  attachment  to  me,  rendered 
him  dear  to  me;  and  I  persuade  myself  you  will  find  no  confidence  wch  you  may  think 
proper  to  repose  in  him,  misplaced. — He  possesses  an  excellent  heart,  good  natural  & 
acquired  ability  and  sterling  integrity — to  which  may  be  added  sobriety,  &  an 
obliging  disposition. 

A  full  conviction  of  his  possessing  all  these  good  qualities,  makes  me  less  scrupu- 
lous of  recommending  him  to  your  patronage  and  friendship. — He  will  repeat  to  you 
the  assurances  of  perfect  esteem,  regard,  &  consideration,  with  which  I  have  the 
honor  to  be, 

Dear  Sir, 

Yr.  Most  Obedt.  &  very  Hble.  Ser., 

GO.  WASHINGTON. 
The  Hon'ble 

Doct'r  Franklin. 


General  David  Humphreys  65 

Col.  Humphreys  bore  with  him  a  highly  complimentary 
letter  of  introduction  from  Washington  to  Minister 
Franklin. 

At  the  close  of  two  years  of  negotiation,  he  returned 
to  America,  and  at  once  visited  his  old  Commander  at 
Mount  Vernon. 

In  the  Autumn  of  1786,  when  the  Shay  Rebellion 
broke  out,  Col.  Humphreys  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
General  Assembly  from  Derby,  and  October  2oth  of  the 
same  year  was  appointed  by  that  body  to  command  the 
3d  U.  S.  Infantry.  This  Regiment  was  raised,  in  compli- 
ance with  a  requisition  of  Congress,  "on  account  of  an 
Indian  War,"  its  real  object  being  disguised  from  motives 
of  policy.  Col.  Humphreys  fixed  upon  Hartford  as  his 
headquarters,  where  he  renewed  his  intimacy  with  John 
Trumbull  and  Joel  Barlow.  With  these  two  friends  and 
Dr.  Lemuel  Hopkins,  he  was  soon  engaged  in  writing 
the  "Anarchiad,"  a  satirical  poem  in  24  numbers,  and 
from  this  association  one  of  the  "four  bards  with  Scripture 
names,"*  were  satirized  in  London.  The  Shay  Rebellion 
being  suppressed  early  the  following  year,  the  Regiment 
was  reduced,  April  ist,  1787,  and  Col.  Humphreys  was 
again  invited  to  the  hearth  of  Washington. 

In  the  Fall  of  1789  he  was  appointed  by  Congress  a 
Commissioner  to  treat  with  the  Creek  Indians  on  the 
frontiers  of  the  Southern  States,  his  associates  being 
Cyrus  Griffin  and  Gen.  Benj.  Lincoln. 

In  1791  he  was  commissioned  first  Minister  from  the 
United  States  to  Portugal,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  several  years.  He  concluded  treaties  with  Algiers 
and  Tripoli,  after  his  return  from  the  United  States, 
where  he  went  to  make  a  personal  representation  on  the 
subject  of  the  Barbary  aggressions.  Many  American 
citizens  were  rescued  from  captivity,  and  our  commerce 
secured  from  further  spoliations. 

*  John,  David,  Joel  and  Lemuel.    They  were  also  called  the  "Hartford  Wits." 


66  General  David  Humphreys 

In  1797  he  was  transferred  to  the  Court  of  Madrid 
as  Minister  to  Spain,  where  he  remained  until  1802,  when 
he  returned  to  his  native  land. 

The  following  extract  from  the  "Farewell"  of  the 
Abbe  O'Moore,  written  January  i,  1802,  gives'a  foreigner's 
opinion  as  to  his  moral  worth : 

"Humphreys  has  strength  of  character  to  bear, 
Unmoved,  all  fortunes  in  a  lofty  sphere; 
Beneath  his  feet  repulsive  pride  to  throw, 
And  stoop  with  dignity  to  those  below. 
But  if  his  country  bids,  in  arduous  hour, 
He,  bold,  asserts  his  ministerial  power; 
And  mildly  stubborn,  ev'n  before  a  throne, 
Supports  his  nation's  honor  and  his  own." 

He  married  in  Lisbon,  in  1797,  Ann  Frances  Bulkley, 
daughter  of  John  Bulkley,  an  English  banker  residing 
in  that  city.  Her  annual  income  is  said  to  have  been 
^30,000.  She  is  described  as  "a  lady  of  refinement,  and 
of  a  fine,  motherly  disposition."  Their  places  of  residence 
were  Boston,  New  Haven  and  Derby,  Col.  Humphreys 
being  frequently  called  to  his  native  town  by  business 
engagements. 

In  June,  1796,  Col.  Humphreys  received  the  following 
letter  from* Washington,  which  shows  that  the  Father  of 
his  Country  had  a  vein  of  humor  in  his  composition: 

"Whenever  you  shall  think,  with  the  poet  or  philosopher,  that 
'the  post  of  honour  is  a  private  station,'  and  may  be  disposed  to 
enjoy  yourself  in  my  shades — I  do  not  mean  the  shades  below,  where, 
if  you  put  it  off  long,  I  may  be  reclining, — I  can  only  repeat,  that 
you  will  meet  with  the  same  cordial  reception  at  Mount  Vernon  that 
you  have  always  found  at  that  place;  and  that  I  am,  and  always 
shall  be, 

Your  sincere  friend, 
And  affectionate  servant, 

GEO.  WASHINGTON." 

The  man  who  could  inspire  such  a  friendship  in  the 
heart  of  such  a  man  as  Washington  must  have  been 
something  more  than  common. 


General  David  Humphreys  67 

V 

While  a  resident  of  Lisbon,  Colonel  Humphreys' 
attention  had  been  turned  to  the  importance  of  a  more 
general  introduction  of  manufactures  into  the  United 
States. 

In  order  to  improve  the  breed  of  sheep  in  this  country, 
he  contracted  "with  a  person  of  the  most  respectable 
character"  to  deliver  to  him,  at  Lisbon,  one  hundred 
Spanish  merino  sheep,  "composed  of  25  rams  and  75  ewes, 
from  one  to  two  years  old."  They  were  conducted  with 
proper  passports  across  the  country  of  Portugal  by  three 
Spanish  shepherds,  and  escorted  by  a  small  band  of 
Portuguese  soldiers.  On  the  loth  of  April,  1802,  they 
were  embarked  in  the  Tagus,  on  board  the  ship  Persever- 
ance, of  250  tons,  Caleb  Coggeshall  master.  In  about 
fifty  days  21  rams  and  70  ewes  were  landed  in  Derby, 
Conn.,  they  having  been  shifted  at  New  York  on  board 
of  a  sloop  destined  to  that  landing.  The  nine  which  died 
were  principally  killed  in  consequence  of  bruises  received 
by  the  violent  rolling  of  the  vessel  on  the  Banks  of  New- 
foundland.* 

In  recognition  of  this  service  the  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural Society  presented  Col.  Humphreys  with  an  ele- 
gant gold  medal. 

The  introduction  of  the  Spanish  sheep  caused  a  great 
excitement.  Col.  Humphreys  discouraged  all  specula- 
tion, selling  the  herd  at  cost,  or  less,  to  the  most  enter- 
prising farmers.  His  advice  and  entreaties,  however, 
were  unheeded,  and  soon  the  price  rose  from  one  hundred 
to  four  hundred  dollars,  mounting  from  that  to  $1,000, 
$1,500  and  $2,000  per  head.  A  few  were  sold  as  high  as 
$2,500  and  $3,000!  Many  honest  men  suffered  great  loss 
in  the  speculation,  but  no  blame  could  be  attached  to 
Col.  Humphrey s.t 

*  From  an  address  by  Col.  Humphreys  before  the  Mass.  Agricultural  Society. 
t  These  were  the  first  merinoes  ever  brought  to  America. 


68  General  David  Humphreys 

VI 

In  1803  Col.  Humphreys  began  his  distinguished 
career  as  a  manufacturer,  purchasing  a  tract  of  land, 
the  water  power,  two  fulling  mills,  a  clothier's  shop,  etc., 
on  the  Naugatuck  River,  at  the  Derby  Falls.  These  mills 
had  been  used  for  the  dressing  of  cloth,  the  spinning  and 
weaving  of  the  wool  being  done  at  the  homes  of  the  inhab- 
itants. Machinery  for  the  weaving  of  the  cloth,  and 
skilled  mechanics  were  brought  from  Europe;  cottages 
were  erected  for  the  operatives,  and  a  school  established 
on  this  property,  the  name  of  the  village  being  called 
Humphreys ville,*  in  compliment  to  its  founder. 

He  succeeded  so  well  in  this  beneficent  and  philan- 
thropic enterprise,  the  production  of  fine  broadcloth, 
that,  in  1808,  he  had  the  reputation  of  producing  the 
best  quality  of  that  kind  of  goods  in  America.  So  cele- 
brated had  "Humphreys'  cloth"  become,  that  in  Novem- 
ber, 1808,  President  Jefferson,  desirous  of  appearing  at 
the  White  House,  on  New  Year's  Day,  with  a  suit  of 
clothes  of  American  manufacture,  sent  to  the  Collector 
of  Customs  at  New  Haven  the  following  order:  "Home- 
spun is  become  the  spirit  of  the  times.  I  think  it  an  useful 
one,  and  therefore  that  it  is  a  duty  to  encourage  it  by 
example. f  The  best  fine  cloth  made  in  the  United  States, 
I  am  told,  is  at  the  manufactory  of  Col.  Humphreys. 
Send  enough  for  a  suit." 

In  1808-09  the  Philadelphia  Domestic  Society  offered 
a  premium  of  $50  for  the  best  piece  of  broadcloth  20 
yards  long  and  six  quarters  wide.  Col.  Humphreys  took 
the  prize.  Coats  were  made  therefrom  for  Presidents 
Jefferson  and  Madison,  and  the  Heads  of  Departments; 
also  for  Capt.  Isaac  Hull,  afterward  Commander  of  the 
frigate  Constitution.  The  price  of  this  cloth  was  $12 
a  yard. 

Mr.  John  Winterbotham  of  England,  father  of  the 

*  Since  unjustly  changed  to  Seymour. 

t  Would  Jefferson  have  been  a  "Free  Trader"  in  1895? 


General  David  Humphreys  69 

authoress,  Mrs.  Ann  S.  Stephens,  was  associated  with 
Col.  Humphreys  in  his  manufacturing  enterprise  at 
Humphreysville . 

Mrs.  Stephens,  in  the  History  of  Derby,  gives  a 
graphic  description  of  Col.  Humphreys,  from  which  we 
quote. 

"Col.  H.  kept  up  in  his  appearance  and  habits  all  the  traditions 
that  have  come  down  to  us  from  the  Revolution.  I  remember  him, 
at  first  dimly,  in  a  blue  coat  and  large  gold  (or  what  appeared  to  be 
gold)  buttons,  a  buff  vest,  and  laced  ruffles  around  his  wrists  and  in 
his  bosom.  His  complexion  was  soft  and  blooming  like  that  of  a  child, 
and  his  gray  hair,  swept  back  from  his  forehead,  was  gathered  in  a 
cue  behind,  and  tied  with  a  black  or  red  ribbon.  His  white  and  plump 
hands  I  recollect  well,  for  wherever  he  met  me  they  were  sure  to  ruffle 
up  my  curls,  and  sometimes  my  temper,  which  was  frequently  tran- 
quilized  with  some  light  silver  coin  ranging  anywhere  from  a  four- 
pence  half -penny  to  a  half  dollar." 

She  goes  on  to  say  that  Col.  H.  took  great  interest 
in  the  discipline  and  education  of  the  apprentice-boys 
employed  in  his  factory.  Seventy-three  of  these  boys 
were  from  the  New  York  almshouse,  and  from  the  neigh- 
boring villages.  For  these  he  established  Sunday  and 
evening  schools  with  competent  teachers,  and  indulged 
his  military  tastes  by  uniforming  them,  at  no  light  ex- 
pense to  himself,  as  a  militia  company,  drilling  them 
himself.  "Lady"  Humphreys  made  and  beautifully 
embroidered  an  elegant  silk  flag  for  the  company,  which 
is  still  preserved,  its  inscription  being  as  follows: 

1 '  Humphreysville. 
JAM  NOVA  PROGENIES, 

PERSEVERANDA  PACTA,  SEMPER  SERRANDA, 
MDCCCX." 

Of  course  there  were  rogues  among  the  boys,  and 
when  thefts  or  small  vices  were  discovered,  the  offender 
was  given  his  choice  to  be  rendered  up  to  the  civil  au- 
thorities, or  tried  and  punished  by  a  court  organized  on 
the  premises.  Almost  invariably  they  elected  the  latter. 

The  Colonel,  in  his  business  enterprise,  did  not  forget 


70  General  David  Humphreys 

his  literary  propensities  that  had  connected  him  with 
Barlow  and  Trumbull  at  Yale  College.  He  wrote  a  great 
deal  for  the  benefit  and  amusement  of  the  operatives; 
and  the  Christmas  holidays  were  often  celebrated  with 
private  theatricals,  at  which  an  original  play  (written  by 
the  Colonel)  would  be  performed  by  the  most  talented 
work-people,  and  in  which  he  himself,  more  than  once, 
took  a  prominent  part.  These  representations  were 
attended  by  the  best  people  of  the  neighborhood  and 
adjoining  towns.  In  fact  he  omitted  nothing  that  could 
arouse  the  ambition  or  promote  the  intellectual  improve- 
ment of  the  operatives,  and  this  he  did  after  a  grand 
military  fashion.  His  large  size  increased  his  fine  com- 
manding appearance,  as  he  was  six  feet  two  inches  in 
height,  and  weighed  about  230  pounds.  He  was  a  great 
stickler  for  etiquette,  so  much  so  as  to  have  drawn  upon 
himself  the  ridicule  and  lampoons  of  those  who  failed  to 
appreciate  his  keen  sense  of  propriety  and  decorum. 

He  was  representative  from  Derby  to  the  State  Legis- 
lature five  sessions,  in  1812,  '13  and  '14,  when  his  public 
career  appears  to  have  terminated. 

He  was  associated,  as  Member  or  Fellow,  with  sev- 
eral literary  institutions,  both  in  this  country  and  Europe, 
and  received  from  three  American  colleges  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 

His  last  years  were  spent  principally  in  Boston  and 
New  Haven,  his  death  occurring  very  suddenly,  at  the  latter 
place,  February  2ist,  1818,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 
He  had  been  suffering,  for  a  few  days,  from  an  apparently 
slight  indisposition.  With  his  usual  courtesy  he  handed 
a  lady  friend  to  her  carriage,  standing,  hat  in  hand,  until 
her  departure,  then  returned  to  his  apartments  at  the 
hotel,*  lay  down  on  the  sofa,  and  expired. 

His  monument  stands  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  ancient  New  Haven  cemetery.  It  is  a  granite  obelisk 
about  twelve  feet  in  height.  The  following  inscriptions 

*  The  Tontine  (?). 


General  David  Humphreys  71 

are  upon  two  bronze  tablets  which  are  inserted  in  the 
east  and  west  sides  of  the  pedestal.  The  epitaph  was 
written  by  his  early  and  faithful  friend,  Judge  John  Trum- 
bull,  the  poet. 

DAVID  HUMPHREYS,  LL.D. 

Acad.  Scient.  Philad.  Mass,  et  Connect. 

et  in  Anglia  Aquae  Solis,  et  Regiae  Societat, 

Socius. 

Patriae  et  Libertatis  amore  accensus, 
Juvenis  vitam  Reipub.  integram  consecravit, 

patriam  armis  tuebatur, 

consiliis  auxit,  literis  exorvavit, 

apud  exteras  gentes  concordia  stabilivit. 

(On  the  reverse  side) 

In  bello  gerendo 

maximi  ducis  Washington  administer  et  adjutor; 

in  exercitu  patrio  Chiliarchus; 

in  Republica  Connecticutensi 

militum  evocatorum  Imperator; 

ad  Aulam  Lusitan.  et  Hispan.  Legatas, 

Iberia  re  versus  natale  solum 

vellere  vere  aureo  ditavit. 

In  Historia  et  Poesi  scriptor  eximius; 

in  Artibus  et  Scientiis  excolendis, 

quae  vel  decori  vel  usui  inserviunt, 

optimus  ipse  et  patronus  et  exemplar. 

Omnibus  demum  officiis  expletis, 
cursug;  vitae  feliciter  peraeto,  fato  cessit, 
Die  XXI.  Februar.  Anno  Domini  MDCCCXVIII, 
cum  annos  vixisset  LXV. 

(TRANSLATION.) 

David  Humphreys,  Doctor  of  Laws,  Member  of  the  Academy 
of  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut:  of  the 
Bath  (Agricultural)  Society,  and  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London. 
Fired  with  the  love  of  country  and  of  liberty,  he  consecrated  his  youth 
wholly  to  the  service  of  the  Republic,  which  he  defended  by  his  arms, 
aided  by  his  counsels,  adorned  by  his  learning,  and  preserved  in  har- 
mony with  foreign  nations. 

In  the  field  he  was  the  companion  and  aide  of  the  great  Wash- 
ington, a  Colonel  in  the  army  of  his  country,  and  commander  of  the 
Veteran  Volunteers  of  Connecticut.  He  went  as  Ambassador  to  the 
Courts  of  Portugal  and  Spain,  and  returning,  enriched  his  native 
land  with  the  true  Golden  Fleece.  He  was  a  distinguished  Historian 
and  Poet; — a  model  and  Patron  of  Science,  and  of  the  ornamental 
and  useful  arts. 

After  a  full  discharge  of  every  duty  and  a  life  well  spent,  he  died 
on  the  2ist  day  of  February,  1818,  aged  65  years." 


72  General  David  Humphreys 

VII 

The  literary  works  of  General  Humphreys,  both  in 
prose  and  verse,  which  were  numerous,  may  be  found  in 
an  octavo  volume  entitled  "The  Miscellaneous  Works  of 
David  Humphreys,  Late  Minister  Plenipotentiary  from 
the  U.  S.  to  the  Court  of  Madrid/'  Several  editions  of 
his  writings  were  published  both  in  Europe  and  America. 

REV.  MR.  LEWIS  ADDED  THIS  ADDENDA  TO  His  SKETCH: 

"There  ought  to  be  erected  to  the  memory  of  Gen.  Humphreys  a  public  monument 
worthy  of  his  fame  and  services.  The  citizens  of  his  native  town,  whose  name  was 
changed  from  Humphreysville  to  Seymour,  ought  to  do  this  as  an  act  of  justice. 

In  his  Valedictory  Address  to  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  in  Connecticut,  July 
4,  1804,  Gen.  Humphreys  said  in  substance:  'In  sixty  years  slavery  in  the  United 
States  will  practically  disappear.'  In  1863  (59  years  after  this  prophecy)  President 
Lincoln  issued  his  Emancipation  Proclamation." 


THE  BENEDICT  ARNOLD  HOUSE. 

Formerly  on  the  north  side  of  Water  Street  about  midway  between  Union  and  Olive  Streets. 


THE  EARLY  CAREER 

OF  BENEDICT  ARNOLD 


BY  GEORGE  HARE  FORD. 

Read  before  the  General  David  Humphreys  Branch,  Connecticut  Society,  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution,  and  the  members  of  the  Second  Company  Governor's 
Foot  Guard,  at  their  Armory,  November,  1907. 


It  is  not  inappropriate  that  here  in  this  Armory  occupied 
by  a  command  that  has  been  continually  in  existence  since 
the  Revolutionary  period,  we  consider  the  early  career  of 
Benedict  Arnold,  who  was  elected  its  first  Captain,  March 
6th,  1775. 

Although  of  Connecticut  birth,  and  a  New  Haven 
citizen,  his  career  belongs  to  the  whole  country,  and  next 
to  the  immortal  Washington,  probably  no  American  name 
has  been  more  conspicuous  for  soldierly  ability  and  heroism, 
though  in  his  later  life  it  was  tarnished  with  disgrace  and 
infamy. 

ANCESTRY. 

In  the  old  historical  churchyard  at  Newport,  adjoining 
the  aristocratic  Trinity  edifice,  the  Arnold  plot  is  prominent 
to-day.  The  stones,  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  record 
the  genealogy  of  the  family  for  generations,  for  the  Ar- 
nolds were  among  the  first  settlers  and  proprietors  of  Rhode 
Island. 

William  Arnold  came  with  Roger  Williams, — suc- 
ceeded him  as  President  of  the  colony  under  the  first 
charter,  and  was  for  fifteen  years  governor  of  the  colony 
under  the  second  charter.  He  had  three  sons,  Benedict, 
Thomas  and  Stephen.  This  Benedict  was  the  grandfather 
of  Captain,  Colonel,  Brigadier,  and  afterwards  Major- 
General  Benedict  Arnold.  Benedict,  General  Arnold's 


74  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

father,  moved  to  Norwich,  Connecticut,  in  1730,  and  en- 
gaged in  commerce  with  England  and  the  West  Indies ;  was 
the  owner  of  vessels,  acquired  a  competency,  and  became  a 
merchant;  served  as  Collector,  Selectman  and  militia  Cap- 
tain. He  married  a  Mrs.  King,  a  widow,  who  is  said  to 
have  been  eminent  for  her  amiable  qualities  and  Christian 
virtues,  and  highly  connected. 

His  BOYHOOD  DAYS. 

Half  way  between  Norwich  and  the  upper  town,  in  a 
fine  old  colonial  residence,  Arnold  was  born  January  3rd, 
1740  (Sparks  Biography,  1835),  although  some  historians 
give  the  date  January  I4th,  1741.  The  most  trustworthy 
authorities  indicate  the  former  date  as  correct.  He  was 
reared  in  the  atmosphere  and  associations  of  such  men  as 
Jonathan  Trumbull,  General  Jabez  Huntington,  aide  to 
Washington;  Samuel  Huntington,  president  of  Congress, 
and  others,  whose  influence  helped  to  develop  in  young 
Arnold  character  that  was  powerful,  patriotic  and  lasting. 

As  a  boy  it  is  recorded  that  his  courage  was  remarkable, 
that  among  his  playmates  he  was  an  athletic  despot,  a  ring- 
leader in  every  bit  of  mischief,  performing  feats  of  daring, 
such  as  firing  field  pieces  with  fire  brands  in  his  hands,  cele- 
brating events  by  building  bonfires  from  valuable  casks, 
boxes,  and  any  available  material,  and  offering  to  fight  any 
authority  who  attempted  to  interrupt  his  pranks.  His  con- 
duct then  is  said  to  have  caused  perpetual,  anxiety  to  his 
mother. 

Under  date  of  April  I2th,  1754,  attending  school  at 
Canterbury,  she  wrote  him  as  follows : 

44  Keep  a  strict  watch  over  your  thoughts,  words  and  actions.  Be 
dutiful  to  your  superiors,  obliging  to  your  equals,  and  affable  to  in- 
feriors, if  any  there  be.  Always  choose  that  your  companions  be  your 
betters,  that  by  their  good  examples  you  may  learn. 

Your  affectionate  mother, 

HANNAH  ARNOLD." 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  75 

Apprenticed  while  a  lad  to  his  uncles,  Lathrop  Brothers, 
druggists  (said  to  have  been  distinguished  in  their  day  for 
worth  of  character  and  extensive  business  relations),  indif- 
ferent to  the  good  or  ill  opinion  of  others,  continuing  his 
feats  of  rashness  and  daring,  he  soon  wearied  of  his  duties, 
and  at  sixteen  enlisted  as  a  soldier,  without  the  knowledge 
of  his  family.  His  mother  was  so  distressed  that,  through 
influential  friends,  she  succeeded  in  getting  him  released 
from  the  army,  and  brought  back,  but  he  soon  ran  away 
again,  re-enlisted,  and  was  stationed  at  Ticonderoga  and 
different  places  on  the  Canadian  frontier.  Employed  in 
garrison  duty  only,  and  seeing  no  prospect  of  gratifying 
his  ambition  for  bold  adventures,  he  returned  to  Norwich 
and  the  position  he  had  left. 

MOVES  TO  NEW  HAVEN. 

With  a  capital  of  $2,000,  furnished  him  by  his  former 
employers,  he  moved  to  New  Haven  and  opened  an  apothe- 
cary shop  at  the  corner  of  George  and  Church  Sts.  He  soon 
added  general  merchandise,  and  prospered  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  his  later  place  on  Water  Street  became,  in  his 
time,  what  might  be  termed  a  big  department  store  of 
to-day.  With  its  profits  he  purchased  and  built  vessels,  ex- 
tended his  trade  by  sailing  them  to  the  West  Indies,  became 
a  navigator  himself  and  traveled  as  far  north  in  the 
country  as  Canada,  purchasing  horses  and  cattle  for  his 
shipments,  and  rapidly  moving  to  the  front  as  a  merchant, 
and  becoming  prominent  in  public  affairs. 

The  late  Thomas  R.  Trowbridge,  Sr.,  writes  in  New 
Haven  Historical  Society  papers,  giving  the  names  of  the 
owners  of  New  Haven  vessels,  that  about  this  period  more 
than  one  hundred  New  Haven  ships  were  engaged  in  trade 
and  commerce  with  Europe  and  the  West  Indies,  Arnold 
owning  the  Fortune,  Charming  Sally,  and  Three  Brothers. 

He  was  absent  on  a  voyage  at  the  time  of  the  Boston 
massacre,  1770,  and  on  hearing  the  news  upon  his  return, 


76  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

his  indignation  was  great,  his  utterances  and  arguments 
were  outspoken,  and  his  patriotism  conspicuous  and  inspir- 
ing to  his  fellow  citizens. 

He  was  a  foremost  man  in  the  community,  and  when 
he  was  chosen  Commander  of  the  Second  Company,  Gov- 
ernor's Foot  Guard,  good  citizens  of  every  calling  appeared 
in  the  ranks.  To  be  a  private  in  his  command  was  an 
honor ;  to  be  an  officer,  a  mark  of  high  distinction. 

MARCH  TO  CAMBRIDGE. 

The  story  of  the  assembling  of  his  command  upon  the 
New  Haven  Green  in  April,  1775,  upon  the  arrival  of  the 
news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington;  the  opposition  that  he 
received  from  his  superior  commander,  General  Wooster, 
who  advised  him  to  wait  for  proper  orders ;  his  impetuous 
reply,  "None  but  Almighty  God  shall  prevent  my  march;" 
his  demand  upon  the  New  Haven  selectmen  for  the  keys  to 
the  powder  house,  and  upon  their  refusal,  his  second 
demand  that  if  they  did  not  yield,  he  would  take  his 
ammunition  by  force;  his  ardor  as  a  leader,  with  his  com- 
pany hastening  forward  by  rapid  march  to  Cambridge,  are 
details  too  well  known  to  be  dwelt  on  here. 

The  compact  that  he  drew  up,  and  compelled  each  man 
to  sign,  stipulated  that  they  would  conduct  themselves 
decently  and  orderly  to  their  countrymen  and  each  other, 
avoid  drunkenness,  gaming,  profanity,  and  every  vice,  obey 
their  officers,  and  that  upon  the  decision  of  a  majority,  any 
person  guilty  of  offence  should  be  dismissed  from  the 
service. 

Historians  all  concede  that  the  Revolutionary  campaign 
of  Connecticut  forces  began  under  Benedict  Arnold  and  his 
command,  and  it  is  said  to  have  been  a  proud  day  for  the 
city  and  state  when  the  company  took  up  the  line  of  march 
to  Cambridge  with  banners  bearing  the  arms  of  the  colony, 
and  drum  heads  painted  with  the  crest  and  motto  of  the 
state. 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  77 

COMMISSIONED  A  COLONEL. 

The  import  of  the  engagements  at  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton over,  and  plans  for  a  campaign  were  considered.  Many 
of  his  company  returned  home,  but  Arnold  remained,  and 
proposed  to  the  Massachusetts  authorities  a  scheme  for  the 
capture  of  Ticonderoga.  From  his  experience  and  famili- 
arity with  the  locality,  he  offered  to  take  the  lead  in  the 
enterprise.  In  thirty  days  he  was  commissioned  as  a 
colonel  in  the  service  of  Massachusetts  and  commander-in- 
chief  of  four  hundred  men  to  proceed  on  this  expedition  to 
take  this  fort.  He  was  authorized  to  procure  stores  and 
provisions  for  his  command. 

CAPTURES  TICONDEROGA. 

His  temperament  admitted  no  delay.  Three  days  after 
receiving  his  commission  he  arrived  in  Stockbridge,  near 
the  frontier  of  Massachusetts.  Forty  miles  distant  at  Ben- 
nington  he  met  an  unorganized  body  of  Green  Mountain 
boys  under  Ethan  Allen,  who  had  also  conceived  the  idea 
of  capturing  Ticonderoga.  Arnold  showed  his  commission, 
and  claimed  the  command  of  the  joint  expedition,  but  the 
Green  Mountain  boys  were  too  much  attached  to  their  com- 
mander to  permit  any  one  to  supersede  him,  and  for  once 
the  discretion  of  Arnold  got  the  better  of  his  ambition,  and 
he  consented  to  a  compromise,  and  joined  the  party  as  a 
volunteer,  maintaining  his  rank,  but  not  the  chief  command. 

"In  the  name  of  the  great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental 
Congress"  the  fort  was  captured  by  the  combined  forces, 
Ethan  Allen,  the  commander,  entering  the  fort  at  the  head 
of  his  men,  and  Arnold  passing  at  his  left  hand,  the  love  of 
glory,  common  to  both,  being  gratified. 

Although  wounded  in  pride,  Arnold  again  assuming 
that  no  other  person  was  vested  with  authority  equal  to  his, 
attempted  to  assume  command,  but  was  again  defeated. 


78  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

COMMANDS  NAVY. 

But  it  was  not  his  nature  to  be  idle.  In  four  days  (and 
here  his  maritime  experience  became  useful)  he  commanded 
a  vessel  and  with  fifty  volunteers  went  down  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  surprised  the  garrison  at  St.  John's,  captured  valuable 
stores,  one  sloop  and  four  boats,  and  burned  five  others. 
Hence  he  became  commander  of  the  first  naval  engagement 
between  the  Americans  and  the  British. 

Thus  in  an  eight-day  campaign  under  Allen  and  Arnold, 
the  formidable  outposts  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point, 
renowned  in  former  wars,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. 

Meantime,  preparations  were  being  made  to  bring  some 
vessels  from  Montreal  in  an  expedition  to  proceed  up  Lake 
Champlain  to  take  the  forts.  This  gave  Arnold  an  oppor- 
tunity for  separating  from  Allen,  and  he  was  made  com- 
mander of  the  North  on  the  lake.  With  headquarters  on 
the  king's  sloop  which  he  had  captured,  he  proceeded  to 
equip  his  vessels  with  guns,  mortars  and  stores,  and  com- 
missioned a  captain  for  each  vessel. 

In  June  of  this  same  year  he  expressed  to  Congress  the 
belief  that  the  whole  of  Canada  might  be  taken  with  two 
thousand  men,  and  offered  to  head  this  expedition,  and  be 
responsible  for  consequences.  He  was  personally  acquainted 
with  the  country,  and,  in  his  mercantile  pursuits,  had  made 
friends  in  Montreal  and  Quebec. 

ADMIRAL  OF  A  FLEET. 

Arnold  was  then  acting  in  the  double  capacity  of  com- 
mander of  the  fortress  at  Crown  Point,  and  admiral  of  his 
little  fleet,  and  paid  from  his  own  pocket  hundreds  of 
pounds,  and  contracted  debts  on  his  own  personal  credit.  It 
is  stated  that  his  presumption  and  arrogance  at  this  time  be- 
came a  subject  of  censure.  Protests  against  the  assump- 
tion of  so  large  an  authority  resulted  in  the  appointment  of 
a  committee  from  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  to  con- 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  79 

sider  the  situation.  Meanwhile  General  Washington  had 
taken  command  of  the  army  at  Cambridge,  and  Congress 
had  decided  upon  the  invasion  of  Canada,  to  be  made  under 
General  Schuyler,  and  Arnold  was  selected  to  conduct  the 
expedition,  receiving  from  Washington  the  commission  of 
colonel  in  the  Continental  service. 

PROMOTED  TO  BRIGADIER-GENERAL. 

In  September,  1775,  six  months  after  his  election  as  cap- 
tain of  the  Foot  Guard,  he  left  Boston  for  Quebec,  with  his 
company  of  men,  including  volunteers  under  Colonel  Aaron 
Burr,  afterwards  Vice  President  of  the  United  States.  The 
route  was  over  the  mountains,  across  the  rivers  and  marshes 
of  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  an  uninhabited  country, 
hauling  barges  with  them ;  cold  weather  and  snow  overtook 
them;  clothing  in  rags,  limbs  torn  by  briers,  provisions 
scarce,  and  blankets  worn  out,  hemlock  boughs  supplying 
them  shelter,  fish  and  roots  their  chief  diet.  "Marvelous," 
says  Carrington,  "was  the  endurance  of  these  men."  As 
though  in  his  element,  Arnold's  courage  never  abated,  his 
confidence  of  success  never  failed  him.  He  was  animated 
by  the  thought  that  they  would  surprise  Quebec  and  suc- 
ceed in  the  conquest  of  Canada.  When  he  saw  the  towers 
of  Quebec  from  the  top  of  Mt.  Bigelow,  less  than  three 
days'  rations  remained  after  thirty-two  days'  march  through 
the  wilderness  without  meeting  a  human  being. 

At  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  November  9th,  the 
drums  in  the  city  of  Quebec  beat  "To  arms,"  when  Arnold's 
men  appeared  upon  the  river  shore.  By  the  aid  of  thirty 
bark  canoes  he  had  transferred  his  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
men  across  the  river,  with  many  unserviceable  muskets, 
ruined  cartridges,  and  an  average  of  five  pounds  only  of 
ammunition  per  man. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1775,  at  the  officers'  council,  it  was 
resolved  to  make  an  attack  as  soon  as  possible,  the  little 
army  having  formed  a  junction  with  Montgomery,  who 


80  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

had  the  chief  command.  On  the  3ist  day  of  December  an 
attack  was  made  under  the  most  adverse  circumstances. 
The  breath  of  the  men  covered  their  faces  with  ice,  the 
ground  was  hard  and  slippery.  Amid  a  whirl  of  grapeshot 
Montgomery  was  killed;  Arnold  moved  on,  becoming  the 
ranking  commander.  His  right  knee  was  shattered  by  a 
musket  ball,  and  he  was  carried  to  the  rear.  The  assault 
failed. 

However,  Congress,  on  receiving  the  news  of  the  attack 
on  Quebec,  promoted  Arnold  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-gen- 
eral, in  recognition  of  his  gallant  conduct  and  extraordi- 
nary ability.  With  his  shadow  of  an  army  he  maintained  a 
blockade  through  that  tedious  winter. 

AT  MONTREAL. 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  General  Wooster  ar- 
rived in  Quebec,  and,  being  of  superior  rank,  succeeded 
Arnold  in  command.  A  coldness  and  reserve  sprang  up  be- 
tween them,  and  Arnold,  with  his  detachment,  retired  to 
Montreal,  which  he  held  at  great  risk  until  the  last  moment. 
In  evacuating  Montreal,  after  his  men  were  safely  em- 
barked, Arnold,  with  his  aide-de-camp,  rode  two  miles  to 
reconnoitre,  then  returned,  stripped  the  horses,  shot  them 
and  pushed  off  the  boat  with  his  own  hands,  thus  indulging 
in  the  vanity  of  being  the  last  man  to  embark  from  the 
shore. 

A  quarrel  having  arisen  among  members  of  his  com- 
mand, Arnold  went  to  Albany  to  report  Seizing  supplies 
at  Montreal  for  sustenance,  the  goods  were  taken  in  such  a 
hurry  that  lists  of  the  articles,  and  form  of  delivery,  were 
not  complete,  and  they  were  placed  in  charge  of  Col.  Hazen, 
who  from  personal  hostility  to  Arnold  neglected  to  properly 
care  for  them,  and  the  blame  fell  on  Arnold  as  the  mover 
in  the  enterprise.  He,  in  return,  threw  the  blame  on  Hazen, 
which  resulted  in  a  court  martial  for  Col.  Hazen.  The 
court  martial  refused  to  accept  the  testimony  of  one  of 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  81 

Arnold's  principal  witnesses,  decided  in  favor  of  Hazen, 
and  demanded  an  apology  from  Arnold,  who  promptly 
refused,  with  a  letter  in  which  he  criticized  the  Court  of 
Inquiry.  The  matter  was  referred  to  General  Gates,  who 
had  succeeded  Schuyler  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  north. 
Gates  endorsed  the  conduct  of  Arnold,  stating  that  "the 
country  must  not  be  deprived  of  that  most  excellent  officer's 
services  at  this  important  moment." 

Although  the  court  acquitted  Hazen,  Arnold's  military 
popularity  sustained  him  in  his  prestige  as  an  officer.  This 
transaction  was  the  first  important  link  in  the  chain  of 
events  which  finally  led  to  Arnold's  ruin. 

BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURG. 

About  this  time  the  British  conceived  the  plan  of  reach- 
ing New  York  by  Lake  Champlain.  Arnold  was  appointed 
in  command  of  the  fleet  on  the  lakes,  and  on  October  nth, 
1776,  occurred  the  most  obstinate  naval  battle  in  Revolu- 
tionary history,  off  Plattsburg.  Overcome  by  superior 
numbers,  Arnold  ordered  his  fleet  on  shore,  and  as  soon  as 
the  vessels  were  aground,  set  them  on  fire  and  ordered  his 
forces  to  leap  in  the  water,  and  wade  to  the  beach,  which 
done  he  formed  them  on  the  bank  to  prevent  the  approach 
of  the  small  boats  of  the  enemy,  he  being  the  last  to  leave 
his  own  galley,  and  then  not  until  the  fire  had  made  such 
progress  that  it  could  not  be  extinguished.  Not  being  in  con- 
dition to  oppose  the  enemy,  he  proceeded  through  the  woods 
to  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga.  At  this  time,  though 
disliked  by  many  in  the  army  from  a  spirit  of  jealousy  and 
rivalry,  he  was  admired  by  the  people  at  large  for  his  daring 
achievements.  Now  ordered  to  reinforce  General  Wash- 
ington in  New  Jersey,  he  arrived  a  week  preceding  the 
battle  of  Trenton,  and  was  immediately  dispatched  to  Rhode 
Island,  January,  1777. 


82  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

OFFICERS  APPOINTED  OVER  HIM. 

About  this  time  an  incident  happened  which  made  him 
begin  to  talk  of  the  ingratitude  of  his  country,  and  had  an 
important  bearing  on  his  future.  Congress,  operating  on 
the  same  principle  as  to-day  of  dividing  patronage,  created 
five  new  major-generals,  without  including  Arnold,  then 
the  senior  brigadier,  in  the  list.  All  of  them  were  juniors 
in  rank.  He  was  astonished  and  indignant,  but  concealed 
his  emotions  with  more  moderation  than  might  have  been 
expected  from  such  an  impetuous  disposition.  Washington 
was  surprised,  feared  the  ill  effects,  and  wrote  Arnold  a 
soothing  letter,  begging  him  to  take  no  hasty  steps,  express- 
ing his  conviction  that  there  was  some  mistake  which  would 
be,  in  due  time,  rectified,  adding  assurances  of  his  own 
admiration  and  friendship.  Arnold  replied  immediately,  but 
with  symptoms  of  strong  feeling.  "Congress  undoubtedly 
has  a  right,"  said  he,  "of  promoting  those  who,  from  their 
abilities  and  their  long  and  arduous  service,  it  esteems  the 
most  deserving,  but  the  promoting  of  junior  officers  to  the 
rank  of  major-generals,  I  view  in  a  civil  way  as  requesting 
my  resignation.  I  have  sacrificed  my  business  interests, 
ease,  and  happiness  in  our  cause,  I  have  repeatedly  fought 
and  bled,  and  am  ready  at  all  times  to  risk  my  life.  My 
commission  was  conferred  unsolicited,  and  received  with 
pleasure,  only  as  a  means  of  serving  my  country.  With 
equal  pleasure  I  resign,  when  I  can  no  longer  serve  with 
honor." 

VALOR  AT  DANBURY. 

His  business  gone,  his  wife  dead,  and  family  scattered 
in  his  absence,  his  property  pledged ;  disgusted  and  dis- 
heartened on  his  way  home  via  Philadelphia  where  he  de- 
manded of  Congress  his  rights,  he  arrived  in  Connecticut  at 
the  time  the  British  expedition  under  General  Tryon  landed 
at  Compo,  near  Fairfield.  Generals  Silliman  and  Wooster 
had  collected  about  six  hundred  men,  only  one  hundred 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  83 

being  Continental  troops,  the  others  volunteers.  Arnold 
joined  them  near  Redding,  marched  to  Bethel,  and  learned 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  that  the  town  of  Danbury  had 
been  destroyed.  Wooster  with  two  hundred  men  marched 
to  harass  the  enemy  in  the  rear,  Arnold  and  Silliman,  with 
the  other  division,  taking  a  different  route,  with  a  design  of 
intercepting  their  retreat.  Wooster  overtook  the  enemy's 
rear  and  attacked  them,  placing  himself  at  the  front  to 
encourage  his  men,  and  had  just  called  out,  "Come  on,  my 
boys,  never  mind  those  random  shots,"  when  he  received 
the  wound  that  proved  mortal. 

Arnold  reached  Ridgefield,  took  a  position  and  erected  a 
barricade  of  carts,  logs  and  earth  across  the  road  to  prevent 
the  British  from  passing.  With  only  five  hundred  men 
against  the  two  thousand,  Arnold  was  obliged  to  retreat,  but 
was  the  last  man  to  leave  the  scene.  Entangled  with  his 
struggling  horse,  which  had  been  shot  under  him,  one  of 
the  redcoats  rushed  forward  with  a  fixed  bayonet  to  kill 
him,  shouting,  "Surrender!  You  are  my  prisoner!"  "Not 
yet,"  said  the  intrepid  Arnold,  and  drawing  his  pistol,  he 
shot  the  would-be  captor  dead,  and  escaped  under  heavy  fire 
unharmed.  This  was  only  another  exhibition  of  his  cool 
and  steady  courage  in  moments  of  extreme  danger.  Con- 
gress made  good  his  horse  with  the  following  words  of 
approval :  "In  the  name  of  this  Congress,  as  a  token  of  their 
approbation  for  his  gallant  conduct  in  the  action  against  the 
enemy  in  their  late  enterprise  at  Danbury." 

At  Compo  Beach  the  next  day  Arnold  rallied  his  men 
and  made  a  gallant  defense.  Here  twenty-two  patriots  were 
killed  and  Arnold's  horse  was  shot  through  the  neck.  At 
this  spot  a  patriotic  memorial  is  soon  to  be  erected. 

APPOINTED  MAJOR-GENERAL. 

The  news  of  all  these  exploits  by  Arnold  reached  Con- 
gress quickly,  and  without  delay  Arnold  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  Major-General,  but  the  date  of  his  commission 


84  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

was  left  below  the  five  major-generals  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed over  him.  He  was  then  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  army  then  on  the  Delaware  above  Trenton  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Philadelphia. 

Meanwhile  Arnold's  accounts,  in  which  he  claimed  to 
have  surrendered  his  entire  fortune,  had  been  referred  to  a 
committee  who  failed  to  report.  His  temper  and  patience 
exhausted,  he  tendered  his  resignation,  but  in  words  pro- 
fessing an  ardent  love  for  his  country.  Just  at  this  crisis, 
Burgoyne  loomed  up.  Washington  needed  Arnold  above 
all  others,  and  the  same  day  the  letter  of  resignation  was 
sent  to  Congress,  General  Washington  recommended  that 
Arnold  be  immediately  sent  to  the  Northern  army.  "He  is 
active,  judicious  and  brave,"  said  Washington.  Flattered 
by  this  reference,  Arnold  suspended  his  demand  for  resigna- 
tion, leaving  it  with  Congress,  and  volunteered  to  serve 
again — an  act  of  magnanimity  that  invites  praise  and 
esteem. 

St.  Clair,  one  of  the  five  major-generals  promoted  over 
him,  was  in  command,  but  Arnold  waived  all  considera- 
tions, and  served  under  him,  declaring  that  he  would  do  his 
duty  in  the  ranks. 

His  BRAVERY  AT  SARATOGA. 

It  is  stated  by  historians  that  Gates  in  the  battle  of 
Saratoga  was  absent  from  the  field,  and  under  the  influence 
of  intoxicants  in  his  quarters.  At  a  consultation  of  the 
officers,  it  was  stated  that  progress  was  slow.  Arnold  ex- 
claimed, "I  will  soon  put  an  end  to  it,"  and  started  out  at  a 
full  gallop.  After  the  battle  was  over,  while  Arnold  had 
been  on  the  field,  and  at  the  head  of  every  attack,  Gates,  in 
a  communication  to  Congress,  said  nothing  about  Arnold 
or  his  division.  High  words  and  harsh  language  are  said 
to  have  passed  between  the  two  generals.  Gates  was  over- 
bearing, and  Arnold  was  impetuous,  and  it  resulted  in  his 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  85 

being  relieved  of  his  command.  At  the  second  battle  of 
Behmis  Heights  a  few  weeks  later,  Arnold  had  no  com- 
mand, but  in  a  high  state  of  excitement,  rode  about  the  field, 
seeking  the  hottest  parts,  and  issuing  independent  com- 
mands wherever  he  went.  Being  the  highest  officer  in  rank 
on  the  field,  his  orders  were  always  obeyed,  and  he  set  an 
example  to  his  troops  by  leading  them  on.  But  accounts 
agree  that  though  rash,  he  was  in  the  most  exposed  posi- 
tions animating  his  troops  and  urging  them  forward;  and 
that  the  brilliant  manoeuvers  were  the  inspiration  of 
Arnold.  His  horse  fell  dead  under  him,  and  his  wounded 
leg  was  crushed,  but  the  assault  was  complete,  and  the  day 
was  crowned  with  victory.  It  was  an  anomalous  fact 
that  an  officer  with  no  command  was  the  leader.  The 
glory  Arnold  here  received  added  fresh  lustre  to  his  military 
fame,  while  these  new  victories  resulted  in  securing  our 
alliance  with  France. 

Enemies  ascribed  his  wild  enthusiasm  to  intoxication, 
but  those  who  assisted  him  on  the  field  were  satisfied  that 
this  was  not  true.  Others  said  he  took  opium,  but  this  was 
unsustained.  Gates  was  not  upon  the  field  during  either 
of  these  battles. 

Arnold,  disabled  by  his  wound,  was  removed  to  Albany, 
where  he  was  confined  to  his  room  throughout  the  winter. 
Early  in  the  spring  he  returned  to  New  Haven  borne  upon  a 
litter.  He  was  received  with  many  demonstrations  of 
respect.  Citizens  went  out  to  meet  him  on  the  road,  and  his 
arrival  was  announced  by  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns.  While 
enroute  he  remained  over  night  with  Amos  Bostwick,  great- 
grandfather of  Capt.  Bostwick  of  the  First  Company  Foot 
Guard. 

While  here  in  New  Haven  he  received  from  Washing- 
ton a  set  of  epaulets,  and  a  sword  knot,  with  a  letter  stating 
they  were  presented  as  testimony  of  sincere  regard  and  ap- 
probation for  his  conduct. 


86  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

AT  VALLEY  FORGE. 

In  May  Arnold  rejoined  the  army  then  at  Valley  Forge. 
Washington  had  determined  to  appoint  him  commander  at 
Philadelphia  as  soon  as  the  British  evacuated.  But  soon 
after  assuming  charge  in  Philadelphia  he  became  involved 
in  difficulties  with  the  local  authorities,  and  was  charged 
that  his  military  command  had  been  oppressive,  and  un- 
worthy of  his  rank  and  station,  and  an  investigation  was 
ordered  and  was  impending. 

BEFRIENDS  THE  ORPHAN  CHILDREN  OF  GEN.  WARREN. 

About  this  time  Arnold  was  taking  a  great  interest  in 
the  orphan  children  of  General  Warren,  who  fell  at  Bunker 
Hill,  and  urged  Congress,  without  success,  for  the  $7,000 
pay  and  pension  due  them.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Hancock  of 
Massachusetts  he  writes,  "I  enclose  $500  at  once,"  and  he 
directed  that  Richard  be  clothed  and  sent  to  the  best  schools 
in  Boston.  He  writes,  "I  will  provide  for  them  in  a  suitable 
manner  to  their  birth,  and  the  grateful  sentiments  I  shall 
ever  feel  to  the  memory  of  my  friend." 

Becoming  apparently  weary  of  military  life,  he  formed 
a  project  for  obtaining  a  grant  of  land  in  New  York  state 
and  establishing  a  settlement.  The  New  York  delegation 
in  Congress  wrote  a  joint  letter  on  the  subject  to  Governor 
George  Clinton  as  follows :  "To  you,  Sir,  and  to  our  state, 
General  Arnold  can  require  no  recommendations.  A  series 
of  distinguished  services  entitle  him  to  respect  and  favor." 

Upon  the  charges  made  against  him  by  the  council  at 
Philadelphia,  he  received  a  mild  reprimand  from  Congress, 
based,  however,  only  on  a  technical  violation  of  rules.  His 
petition  to  Congress  for  a  settlement  of  his  accounts  was 
not  recognized.  Matters  were  in  a  state  of  perplexity,  with 
every  prospect  of  an  unsatisfactory  termination. 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  87 

MARRIES  Miss  SHIPPEN. 

When  Philadelphia  was  evacuated,  many  families  re- 
mained, who  kept  up  close  relations  with  the  British  of- 
ficers. Among  them  was  the  family  of  Mr.  Edwin  Shippen, 
afterwards  Chief  Justice  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
youngest  daughter,  a  beautiful  girl  of  eighteen,  gay,  attrac- 
tive and  ambitious,  was  flattered  and  admired  by  the  British 
officers.  Arnold  was  not  long  in  Philadelphia  before  he 
was  smitten  by  this  charming  lady,  and  sought  and  won  her 
hand.  He  was  a  man  of  fine,  commanding  presence  and  was 
living  in  splendor  with  military  display.  At  their  marriage, 
Arnold  (although  still  suffering  from  the  wounds  received 
at  Quebec  and  Saratoga),  in  his  brilliant  uniform,  leaning 
upon  the  shoulder  of  an  aide-de-camp  during  the  ceremony, 
gave  brilliancy  and  halo  to  the  occasion.  This  alliance 
brought  him  in  social  contact  with  the  element  which  had 
no  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  liberty.  He  asked  Congress, 
without  success,  for  four  months'  pay  out  of  four  years 
now  due  him,  that  he  might  purchase  horses  and  equipment, 
and  take  the  field. 

His  LAST  COMMAND. 

The  British  being  established  in  New  York,  it  was  the 
plan  of  Washington  and  Lafayette  to  proceed  to  the  attack 
against  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  his  forces.  On  August  3rd, 
1780,  Arnold  was  assigned  to  the  command  at  West  Point 
and  its  dependencies,  from  Fishkill  to  King's  Ferry. 

Here  let  the  curtain  fall  and  the  drama  close  without  the 
stage  setting  or  the  players  in  the  last  act.  Since  the  days 
of  Judas  Iscariot,  in  the  history  of  our  race  Nemesis  has 
provided  every  great  nation  and  occasion  with  a  strong  man 
who  proved  weak.  It  is  perhaps  necessary  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  great  nation  that  such  characters  should  exist  to 
teach  others  the  right.  If  God,  in  his  wise  Providence,  had 
seen  fit  to  have  called  Arnold  off  the  stage  at  the  height  of 
his  glory  won  in  the  conflicts  at  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point, 


88  The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold 

Quebec,  Saratoga  or  Compo  Beach,  history  would  have 
given  him  a  place  second  to  that  of  Washington,  for  no 
general  of  the  Revolution  had  been  engaged  in  more  con- 
flicts on  land  and  sea,  or  battled  more  intensely  for  the  cause 
of  liberty  than  did  Benedict  Arnold,  and  during  the  first  five 
years  of  the  Revolutionary  struggles  he  was  considered  a 
most  ardent  patriot,  a  daring,  ambitious  and  competent 
soldier.  There  was  no  danger  he  would  not  face,  no  project 
he  would  not  undertake.  Hopeful  of  success,  he  usually 
acquired  it.  In  what  often  seemed  a  forlorn  hope,  by  his 
persistency,  dash,  energy  and  recklessness,  success  was  se- 
cured. The  combination  of  circumstances  in  his  career  was 
peculiar.  It  always  seemed  to  happen  that  some  one  else 
was  in  command  in  his  important  engagements.  His 
enemies  and  rivals  prevented  Congress  from  giving  him  the 
recognition  he  earned,  or  reimbursing  him  for  his  patriotic 
expenditures.  His  social  relations,  by  his  second  marriage, 
brought  him  in  contact  with  the  Tories,  and  the  British, 
unable  to  capture  him  on  the  field  of  battle,  accomplished  it 
otherwise. 

In  1804  Morgan  and  his  associate  editors,  Samuel  Hart 
and  Jonathan  Trumbull,  in  "The  History  of  Connecticut 
as  a  Colony  and  as  a  State,"  say  of  Arnold  that  "He  was 
proud,  passionate,  uncontrolled,  and  rather  of  a  self-seeking 
nature,  quickly  responding  to  affection  or  resentment,  gen- 
erous to  the  weak,  but  not  conciliatory  to  companions, 
facts  which  brought  on  the  final  tragedy.  Arnold  was  a 
good  man  to  have  for  a  master,  and  a  magnificently  useful 
one  to  have  for  a  subordinate ;  but  he  was  not  a  comfortable 
yokemate,  and  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  the  train  of  hates 
and  resentments  which  followed  him  were  wholly  without 
his  fault.  Yet  again  and  again  he  acted  with  exemplary 
patience  and  the  utmost  magnanimity." 

In  1 80 1  he  died  in  England,  grieving  at  the  conscious- 
ness of  his  great  wrong  doing.  His  last  words  were 
pathetic :  "Bring  me  the  epaulets  and  sword  knots  Wash- 


The  Early  Career  of  Benedict  Arnold  89 

ington  gave  me,  and  let  me  lie  in  my  old  American  uniform. 
God  forgive  me  for  ever  putting  on  any  other." 

In  the  Trophy  Room  at  West  Point,  arranged  at  in- 
tervals on  the  walls,  are  tablets  in  bronze,  placed  in  memory 
of  the  distinguished  officers  of  the  American  Revolution, 
recording  their  name,  age,  rank,  and  deeds.  As  we 
approach  one  we  read  these  words,  "To  the  memory  'of 

Major-General ."   A  slash  across  the  tablet  tells  the 

rest.  What  American  who  reads  it  cannot  recall,  with  re- 
gret, the  name  and  record  that  might  have  adorned  that 
tablet,  but  for  the  frailties  of  human  nature. 


THE  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  WARREN  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  BUNKER  HILL. 

Painted  by  Col.  John  Trumbull. 
From  the  original  painting  in  the  Trumbull  Gallery,  Yale  School  of  Fine  Arts. 


BUNKER  HILL  DAY 


BY  WILLIAM  S.  WELLS. 

A  portion  of  an  address  at  the  grave  of  General  Humphreys,  on  June  17,  1906, 
which  was  the  initiative  to  the  compilation  of  the  list  of  names,  so  far  as  could  be 
ascertained,  of  men  from  New  Haven  who  served  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
included  in  this  volum.e. 


Assemblages  of  people  such  as  this  are  prompted  by 
a  common  interest;  from  a  sentiment;  or  to  discharge 
a  duty.  They  make  the  motive  of  their  meeting  visibly 
manifest  by  ceremony,  or  by  language  expressive  of  the 
thoughts  uppermost  in  their  minds.  The  ceremony  we 
are  performing  to-day  is  not  new  to  us,  for  we  meet  again 
from  a  natural  affinity,  from  the  prompting  of  patriotism 
and  pride  in  being  the  descendants  of  those  who  fought 
to  establish  our  Government.  The  world  would  be 
poor  indeed  without  its  graves  and  memories  of  its  hal- 
lowed dead.  The  final  resting  place  of  anyone  who  has 
done  a  noble  deed  is  a  living  influence  upon  the  world. 
The  sepulchers  of  the  dead  speak  to  the  living,  and  this 
day  especially  do  the  graves  of  those  receive  reverent 
attention  who  fought  in  the  War  for  Independence,  either 
in  the  field,  on  the  sea,  or  in  the  halls  of  legislation.  We 
stand  now,  my  friends,  in  the  presence  of  a  power  that 
is  strongly  felt;  the  power  and  influence  of  the  resting 
places  of  patriots.  This  is  an  hour  for  the  expression 
of  the  sentiments  that  have  brought  us  here,  and  when 
we  assemble  to  do  honor  to  all,  we  usually  select  one  who 
was  particularly  conspicuous,  and  a  representative  of 
all  in  their  motive  of  service,  such  as  the  patriot  about 
whose  sepulcher  we  are  now  gathered.* 

*  Then  followed  a  brief  review  of  the  life  and  services  of  General  David  Humphreys , 
more  fully  given  by  Rev.  Alonzo  N.  Lewis  in  this  volume  and  by  Right  Rev.  E.  S.  Lines, 
D.D.,  in  a  former  volume  published  by  this  Branch. 


92  Bunker  Hill  Day 

One  hundred  and  thirty-one  years  ago  to-day  was 
the  i  yth  of  June,  1775.  What  a  notable  anniversary 
for  us  to  observe,  and  those  to  follow;  the  anniversary 
of  the  day  on  which  occurred  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
What  astounding  developments  for  this  country  and  the 
world  have  grown  out  of  the  great  event  of  that  day.  The 
magic  words,  Bunker  Hill,  are  fixed  in  our  earliest  recol- 
lections, and  have  inspired  the  youth  and  manhood  of 
America  to  the  highest  sentiments  of  patriotism  and  to 
valiant  deeds.  Two  months  before  this  battle  occurred 
the  unexpected  collision  at  Lexington.  But  when  the 
sun  had  set  on  the  night  of  June  i7th,  1775,  the  day  of 
possible  reconciliation  with  Great  Britain  had  passed; 
the  die  had  been  cast  for  weal  or  for  woe  to  this  country, 
and  largely  for  the  future  welfare  of  mankind.  The 
issue  was  whether  we  should  continue  to  be  subservient 
to  the  inconsiderate  and  oppressive  crown  of  England 
or  the  alternative  to  strike  to  become  a  free  people.  Our 
forefathers  stood  on  the  threshold  of  an  uncertain  but 
mighty  future.  Bunker  Hill  decided  the  course  to  be 
taken,  and  the  battles  on  land  and  sea  that  followed 
were  fought  to  a  glorious  conclusion.  Through  the  ages 
Bunker  Hill  will  be  repeated  in  our  schools,  and  in  our 
homes,  and  by  poets  and  orators  as  in  the  past  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  years,  and  will  continue  to  be  a  most 
forceful  influence  to  arouse  the  pride  of  our  people  to  a 
jealous  guardianship  of  that  which  has  been  bequeathed 
unto  them.  Bunker  Hill  is  a  synonym  for  patriotism, 
and  for  that  vital  spark  which  kept  alive  the  spirit  of 
our  forefathers  for  eight  long  years  that  tried  men's 
souls  and  is  still  burning  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  have 
consideration  for  the  stability  of  our  Republic. 

It  was  not  until  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  was  raised 
to  the  breezes  that  liberty  was  unfettered,  and  a  ray  of 
light  flashed  over  the  earth  to  cheer  the  oppressed  and 
downtrodden  of  the  nations  of  the  world.  But  in  the 
formation  of  this  Union  of  States  compromises  were 


Bunker  Hill  Day  93 

forced  to  be  made  that  did  not  leave  our  flag  as  fully 
the  emblem  of  freedom  as  it  should  have  been.  The 
enforced  compromise  with  slavery  and  state  rights  to 
satisfy  discordant  sectional  elements  to  effect  a  consoli- 
dation of  the  Colonies  into  states,  brought  its  result  as 
foreseen  at  the  time  by  some,  and  it  came  in  the  great 
War  of  the  Rebellion  of  1861-1865.  But  the  spirit  of 
the  men  of  Lexington,  Bunker  Hill,  Valley  Forge  and 
Yorktown,  and  those  who  fought  on  the  sea,  was  still 
alive  through  the  intervening  years  to  1861,  when  under 
the  leadership  of  the  immortal  Lincoln,  a  terrible  sacri- 
fice was  forced  upon  us  and  the  flag  washed  of  the  stains 
that  had  been  left  upon  it.  This  contest  enabled  our 
country  to  be  reunited  on  a  firmer  basis,  and  on  which 
it  would,  no  doubt,  originally  have  been  founded,  could 
those  who  formed  the  colonies  into  states  have  had  a 
vision  of  the  future.  We  washed  out  the  stains  in  the 
Civil  War — but  at  a  terrible  cost — and  now  our  flag  has 
grown  so  conspicuous  in  influence,  power  and  dominion 
that  to-day  the  sun  never  sets  upon  it.  It  is  respected, 
honored  and  feared  wherever  it  floats  as  representing  the 
greatest  nation  of  the  world,  which  was  primarily  estab- 
lished by  the  men  from  whom  we  came,  and  whose  mem- 
ory we  honor,  and  to  whom  we  pay  tribute  to-day. 

We  cannot  too  highly  extol  the  services  of  our  great 
General  Washington  and  his  faithful  officers  and  soldiers 
for  their  trying  campaigns  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
but  on  such  occasions  as  this,  and  others  in  reference 
to  the  patriots  of  the  War  of  Independence,  the  value 
of  the  services  of  the  gallant  seamen  of  those  days  is 
not  often  brought  into  conspicuous  review.  When  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  broke  out  the  Colonies  had  no 
supplies  or  the  means  of  procuring  them,  and  the  revolt 
would  have  been  a  lamentable  failure  at  the  outset  ex- 
cept for  the  work  of  the  cruisers  and  privateers.  Gen- 
eral Washington  early  foresaw  this,  and  depended  largely 
for  success  upon  captured  supplies  and  the  interception 


94  Bunker  Hill  Day 

and  capture  of  reinforcements  for  the  British  Army  and 
well  did  these  able  and  fearless  seamen  do  their  duty. 

Recently  we  brought  the  body  of  that  great  com- 
mander, Paul  Jones,  in  solemn  reverence  to  our  shores, 
resurrected  from  obscurity  in  the  forgotten  cemetery  in 
Paris.  We  gave  it  a  most  honored  sepulcher,  and  at 
whose  mausoleum  the  nation  bowed  its  head  in  gratitude 
and  admiration  of  his  great  services  to  our  land.  His 
name  is  associated  with  the  most  ardent  patriotism, 
audacity  and  courage,  and  his  resting  place  will  be  for- 
ever a  shrine  of  devotion  for  all  Americans.  We  cannot 
overestimate  the  value  of  the  brave  seamen  of  those 
days,  and  their  reward  has  often  been  unwisely  or  thought- 
lessly withheld.  We  should  also  bear  in  mind  that  the 
first  bloodshed  in  the  War  of  Independence  was  on  the 
water  in  the  harbor  of  Providence  on  June  lyth,  1772, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four  years  ago  to-day,  four  years 
before  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  in  the  destruction  of 
the  British  man-of-war  "Gaspe,"  and  mortally  wound- 
ing her  captain.  It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that 
this  date  is  not  only  the  anniversary  of  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  but  also  the  anniversary  of  the  first  stroke 
towards  the  establishment  of  this  great  republic  of  the 
United  States  of  America. 

Certainly  the  names  of  Paul  Jones,  Nicholas  Biddle, 
John  Barry,  James  Nicholson  and  others  who  braved 
the  dangers  of  the  sea  and  fought  so  heroically  without 
a  line  of  retreat  except  to  find  watery  graves,  are  equal 
in  laudation  to  those  whose  services  we  cannot  too  highly 
extol  in  the  weary  marches  by  day  and  by  night,  who 
suffered  untold  trials  and  privations  in  the  army  under 
command  of  our  sainted  Washington. 

What  an  admirable  work  the  people  of  New  Haven 
did  when  they  reared  yonder  monument  in  East  Rock 
Park,  erected  to  the  memory  of  those  whose  lives  were 
sacrificed  to  establish  our  nation  and  those  who  fought 
in  the  war  of  1861-1865  to  make  it  more  secure.  On  the 


Bunker  Hill  Day  95 

monument  on  bronze  tablets  is  the  roll  of  honor  con- 
taining names  of  five  hundred  and  twenty-six  men  from 
New  Haven  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, and  a  space  is  provided  for  the  names  of  those  who 
lost  their  lives  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  that  of 
1812  and  the  Mexican  War.  Are  not  we,  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  a  little  remiss  in  our  obli- 
gations ;  should  not  the  names  of  those  from  New  Haven 
who  fought  and  died  at  Bunker  Hill,  at  Valley  Forge, 
in  the  defense  of  New  Haven  and  in  many  other  battles, 
all  of  which  led  to  final  victory  at  Yorktown,  also  be 
recorded  in  the  vacant  panel  assigned  for  them  on  this 
monument?  Should  not  the  names  of  those  who  carried 
the  flag  so  triumphantly  over  the  seas,  that  was  first 
raised  by  Paul  Jones  to  the  mast  of  the  '  'Ranger"  in 
1777,  and  who  found  watery  graves,  also  be  placed  on 
this  shaft  beside  those  who  fought  and  died  under  Grant, 
Sherman,  Sheridan,  Foote  and  Farragut?  Have  we  not, 
my  compatriots,  left  some  duty  undone :  for  the  names 
of  those  who  died  to  form  the  Government  are  surely 
inseparably  linked  with  those  who  lost  their  lives  to 
preserve  it  and  add  to  its  greatness. 

Books  and  history  are  not  read  by  all,  but  this  mon- 
ument is  a  visible  language  standing  majestically  in  its 
purity  of  white  on  the  highest  summit  surrounding  New 
Haven,  on  which  all  can  read  of  the  bravery  and  patri- 
otism of  those  whose  names  it  bears,  or  to  whose  honor 
it  was  erected.  It  is  a  silent  sentinel;  a  witness  of  the 
past.  It  is  also  by  its  commanding  position  and  dignity 
of  appearance  a  teacher  and  guardian  of  American  patri- 
otism for  the  future.  Behold  it,  in  its  crowning  position, 
kissing  the  first  beams  of  day  above  the  fields,  hills  and 
meadows,  busy  factories,  institutions  of  learning,  and 
our  harbor  dotted  with  vessels  in  commerce  or  of  pleas- 
ure, and  looking  out  over  happy  homes  and  far  over  the 
surrounding  country  blessed  with  peace  and  prosperity. 
It  is  a  thank-offering  of  gratitude  and  tells  the  traveler 


96  Bunker  Hill  Day 

far  out  to  sea  the  story  of  the  sacrifice  for  the  establish- 
ment of  our  Government,  and  the  mistakes  in  the  begin- 
ning washed  away  by  the  blood  of  her  faithful  sons.  *  *  * 
Our  duty  on  this  occasion  so  far  as  we  can  do  it  has 
been  fulfilled.  We  always  feel  better  when  a  duty  is  dis- 
charged, and  as  we  go  hence  for  another  year,  may  we 
carry  into  our  daily  lives  those  sentiments  for  each  other 
and  reverence  for  our  ancestors  as  we  have  done  for 
years  past.  May  the  blessings  vouchsafed  to  us  as  a 
nation  by  the  patriotism,  bravery  and  sacrifices  of  our 
forefathers  continue  to  live  for  a  better  influence,  not  only 
in  our  own  lives,  but  that  we  may  also  in  some  measure 
be  able  to  impart  to  others  the  same  devotional,  lofty 
and  patriotic  sentiments  which  have  brought  us  together 
this  day. 


LIST  OF  MEN 

From  the  territory  embraced  in  the  Town  of  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  who  are  known  to  have 
Served  in  the  Continental  Army  and  Militia 
and  Connecticut  State  and  Continental  Vessels 
and  Privateers,  and  those  who  Rendered  other 
Patriotic  Service  during  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution 1775-1783,  together  with  a  Record  of 
known  Casualties 


COMPILED  BY 
WILLIAM  S.  WELLS,  ( late)  2nd  Asst.  Engineer,  U.  S.  Navy. 

If  any  errors  or  omissions  in  the  lists  are  discovered  by  anyone,  a  report  to 
that  effect  together  with  the  source  of  information  will  be  welcomed  by  the  officers  of 
this  Branch,  S.  A.  R. 


At  the  Annual  Meeting  of  General  David  Humphreys 
Branch  No.  i,  Connecticut  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  held  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  on  the 
evening  of  May  2nd,  1907,  the  following  motion  was  passed 
unanimously : 

Voted: — That  the  President  appoint  a  committee  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  suggestion  of  Compatriot  Win.  S.  Wells  in  reference  to 
placing  the  names,  as  near  as  they  can  be  ascertained,  of  the  soldiers 
and  sailors  from  New  Haven  upon  the  panel  which  is  provided 
for  this  purpose  on  East  Rock  Monument  of  those  who  lost  their  lives 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

The  president  appointed  the  following  committee :  Wm. 
S.  Wells,  Gen.  E.  S.  Greeley  and  Everett  E.  Lord.  In  pur- 
suance of  the  above  resolution,  and  in  the  progress  of  the 
work  the  committee  concluded  to  include  all  the  names  as 

nearly  as  they  could  be  ascertained  from  reliable  data  of 

i 

7 


98  List  of  Men 

those  who  served  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  as  soldiers 
and  those  who  served  on  cruisers  and  privateers,  and  those 
who  rendered  patriotic  service  during  the  war,  together 
with  a  list  of  casualties.  At  the  period  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  North  Haven,  East  Haven,  West  Haven, 
Orange,  Hamden,  Mt.  Carmel,  Woodbridge,  Bethany  and 
Westville  were  included  in  the  district  embraced  in  the  juris- 
diction of  New  Haven.  The  records  of  the  men  who  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  are  fragmentary,  and  from  lack 
of  such  condensed  records,  some  men  from  the  district  em- 
braced in  New  Haven  are  possibly  not  included  in  the  list 
which  follows.  From  lack  of  records  this  is  probable  of 
those  who  served  on  ships-of-war,  cruisers  and  privateers. 
It  was  also  found  that  the  same  names  were  frequently 
repeated  in  different  organizations  from  re-enlistments,  and 
to  avoid  repetition  the  following  compilation  gives  the 
highest  recorded  rank  attained  by  officers ;  and  those  whose 
names  only  are  given  were  presumably  in  the  ranks  or  ren- 
dered special  patriotic  service. 

Authorities  consulted  for  the  names  given  were: 

Connecticut  Men  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution;  Connecticut  His- 
torical Society,  Vols.  VIII  and  XII ;  Records  of  Connecticut  Society 
of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution ;  Historical  Collections  of  John 
W.  Barbour;  Town  Committees  of  Safety,  etc.,  published  in  Atwater's 
History  of  New  Haven;  Various  Town  Histories,  and  other  sources; 
Compatriot  George  H.  Ford  and  Mr.  Sheldon  B.  Thorpe  of  North 
Haven  rendered  valuable  assistance. 

The  number  of  names  of  soldiers,  sailors  and  patriots 
given  is  998,  of  which  41  served  in  the  Navy,  and  on  Cruis- 
ers and  Privateers,  and  names  of  the  latter  are  in  a  separate 
list. 

The  number  of  casualties  ascertained  (killed,  died  of 
wounds  or  disease,  and  missing)  is  61 ;  wounded  23 ;  pris- 
oners 21. 


List  of  Men\ 


99 


Ebenezer 


Akin,  James — Sergeant 

Alcock  (Ancock), David — Sergeant 

Allen,  Isaac 

Allen,  John 

Allen,  Jonathan 

Allen,  Phineas 

Alley,  William 

Allin,  Ebenezer 

Ailing,  Abraham 

Ailing,  Amos 

Ailing,  Caleb — Corporal 

Ailing,  Charles — Clerk 

Ailing,  Edward  Beardsley 

Ailing,  Enos 

Ailing,  John 

Ailing,  Jonathan 

Ailing,  Noah 

Ailing,  Stephen — Lieut. 

Ailing,  Thaddeus 

Ailing,  William 

Ailing,  Zadock 

Allyn  (Ailing),  Ichabod 

Allyn  (Ailing),  William 

Ammit  (Emmit),  John 

Andrews,  Elisha 

Andrews,   Jedediah — Captain 

Andrews,    John    (Died    July    n, 

J777) 

Andrews,  Timothy 
Andrus,  John 
Anger,  Philemon 
Arnold,  Benedict — Major-Gen. 
Atwater,      (Negro  Slave) 

(Wounded  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Atwater,  Amos 
Atwater,  Caleb 
Atwater,    David,    Dr.    (Killed   in 

Danbury    Raid,    April    25-28, 

1777) 

Atwater,  David,  Jr. 
Atwater,  Enos 
Atwater,  Jeremiah 
Atwater,  John 
Atwater,  Jonah 
Atwater,  Jonathan 
Atwater,  Medad 
Atwater,  Samuel 


Augur,    Hezekiah 

Austin,  Aaron — Paymaster 

Austin,  Archibald 

Austin,  David,  Jr.  (Wounded  July 

5  and  6,  1779) 
Austin,  Elijah 
Austin,  Jeremiah  (Wounded  July 

5  and  6,  1779) 
Austin  John  (Wounded  July  5  and 

6,  1779) 

Austin,  Jonathan 
Austin,  Joshua 

Babcock,  Adam 

Bagden,  Caesar 

Bailey,  Hezekiah 

Bains,  Solomon — Sergeant 

Baker,  Bristol  (Blister) 

Baker,  Edward — Sergeant 

Baldwin,  John    (Killed    at    New 

Haven,  July  5,  1779) 

Ball, Caleb  Ball 

Ball,  Reuben  (Killed  or  prisoner 

Oct.  n,  1780) 
Ball,  Stephen 
Ball,  Timothy 
Barnes,  Abram 
Barnes,  Benjamin 
Barnes,  Dan 
Barnes,  Jared 
Barnes,  John 
Barnes,  Joshua,  Jr. 
Barnes,  Levi 
Barnes,  Noah 
Barnes,  Samuel 
Barnes,  Seth 

Barnes,   Solomon — Corporal 
Barnes,  Thomas  (Died  in  service) 
Barney,  Hanover 
Barney,  Samuel  (Prisoner) 
Barns,    Daniel    (Died   March   30, 

1778) 

Barns,  Eliphalet 
Barns,  Jacob  (?) 
Barns,  John 

Barns,  Solomon — Sergeant 
Barr,  Alexander 
Basset,  Benjamin 


IOO 


List  of  Men 


Basset,  Hezekiah 

Basset,  William 

Bassett,  

Bassett,  

Bassett,  Abraham  (Died  in  ser- 
vice) 

Bassett,  Daniel 

Bassett,  James  (Wounded  at  New 
Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Bassett,  Joseph 

Bassett,  Samuel 

Bassett,  Timothy  (Wounded  at 
New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,1779) 

Battis,  Elijah 

Bayley,  William 

Beach  (Beeck),  Asa 

Beach  Reuben 

Beardsley,  Ebenezer — Surgeon 

Beck,  Joseph 

Beech,  David 

Beecher,  Hezekiah 

Beecher,  Isaac,  Jr. 

Beecher,  Samuel 

Beecher,  Thaddeus 

Beecher,  Wheeler 

Beers,  Beacon — Capt.  and  Pay- 
master 

Beers,  Isaac 

Beers,  Nathan— Lieut.  (Killed  at 
New  Haven,  July  5,  1779) 

Beers,  Nathan,  Jr. 

Bellamy,  Samuel 

Benham,  Daniel 

Benham,  Gamaliel 

Benham,  John — Corporal 

Benham,  Thomas 

Bigelow,  Paul  (?) 

Bills,  Thomas 

Bird,  Samuel — Lieut. 

Bird,  Thomas 

Bishop,  Daniel — Lieut. 

Bishop,  David — Lieut. 

Bishop,  Isaac  (Died  in  service) 

Bishop,  Israel 

Bishop  James 

Bishop,  Jared(?) 

Bishop,  Jonah 

Bishop,  Joy 


Bishop,  Nathan 

Bishop,  Nathaniel 

Bishop,  Samuel 

Bishop,  Samuel,  Jr. 

Bishop,  Simeon 

Black,  Thomas 

Blackman,  Samuel,  Jr. — ist  Lieut. 

Blakeslee,  Abraham 

Blakeslee,  Enos 

Blakeslee,  John 

Blakeslee,  Jotham 

Blakeslee,  Obed 

Blakeslee,  Oliver 

Blakeslee,  Zopher 

Blakesley,  Jesse 

Blakesley,  Moses 

Blakeslee,  Caleb — Musician 

Blakslee,  Zealous 

Blaksley,  Jared 

Booth,  Elisha — Ensign 

Booth,   Walter— Corporal 

Bracket,  Benajah 

Bracket,  Hezekiah 

Brackett,  Giles 

Bradley, 

Bradley,   Aaron— Fife   (Killed   at 

New  Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Bradley,  Abijah 
Bradley,  Abner — ist  Lieut. 
Bradley,  Abraham 
Bradley,  Abram 
Bradley,   Allen 
Bradley,  Aner — Lieut.  (Wounded 

in  Danbury  Raid,  April  25—28, 

1777) 

Bradley,  Asa 
Bradley,  Azariah 
Bradley,  Dan 
Bradley,  David 
Bradley,  Demas 
Bradley,  Dimon 
Bradley,  Ebenezer 
Bradley,   Elihu 
Bradley,  Elijah  (Prisonei) 
Bradley,  Enos 
Bradley,  Gurdon 
Bradley,  Isaac 
Bradley,  Jared 


List  of  Men 


101 


Bradley,  Joel — Lieut. 

Bradley,  Joel,  Jr. 

Bradley,  Josiah — Captain 

Bradley,  Moses 

Bradley,  Oliver 

Bradley,  Phineas — Captain 

Bradley,  Simeon 

Bradley,  Timothy — Captain 

Brewster,  James — Lieut. 

Bristol,  Simeon 

Britton,  Samuel 

Brocket,    Enos 

Brocket,  Hezekiah 

Brocket,  Isaac 

Brocket,  Isaiah 

Brocket,  John 

Brocket,  Monson 

Brockett,  Benjamin — Sergeant 

Brockett,  Cornelius 

Brockett,  Ebenezer 

Brockett,  Jacob — Captain 

Brockett,  Jacob,  2nd 

Brockett,  Joel 

Brockett,  Richard 

Broton,  James  Adkin 

Brown,  Henry — Corporal 

Brown,   Henry — Sergeant 

Brown,  Jabez 

Brown,   Jonathan — Captain 

Brown,  Robert 

Bruster,  Amos 

Buck,  John 

Buckminster,  Joseph,  Rev. — 

Chaplain 
Bulford,  John 
Bunce,  David 
Burbank,  David 
Burr,  Josiah 
Burrell,  Thomas  (Prisoner  at  New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Burrill,   Ebenezer 
Burritt,  Abel — Captain 
Burroughs,  Samuel 

Candee,  Job 

Candee,  Samuel 

Candee,  Zacheus 

Capeny,  Cuff  (Mustered  dead) 


Carrington,  Dan 

Carter,    Joshua    (Died,    date    un- 
known) 

Catlin,   Nathan 
Catlin,  Thomas 
Champen,  Samuel 
Champlin,  Seabury 
Chandler,  Joshua 
Chatterton,   John 
Chidsey,  Abram 
Chidsey,  Abraham,  Jr. 
Chidsey,  Ebenezer 
Chidsey,  Ephraim 
Chidsey,  Isaac,  ist. 
Chidsey,  Isaac,  2nd 
Chidsey,  James — Sergeant 
Chidsey,  John 
Chidsey,  Levi — Corporal 
Claridge,    Francis 
Clark,  Daniel 
Clark,  George — Ensign 
Clark,  David — Sergeant 
Clark,  Hugh  (?) 
Clark,  Joel 
Clark,  Martin 
Clark,  Parsons 

Clark,  Richard  (Died  June  i,  1778) 
Clark,  Samuel 
Claus,  John 
Climet,  Robert 
Colburn,  Daniel 
Collings,  Joseph 
Collins,  Luther 
Colony,  Patrick 
Colt,  Peter 
Cook,  George — Fife 
Cook,    William 
Cook,   William— Sergeant 
Cooper,  Abraham 
Cooper,  Isaac 
Cooper,  Israel 
Cooper,  Joel 
Cooper,  Levi 

Cooper,   Samuel — Drummer 
Cooper,  Thomas — 4th  Corporal 
Cooper,  Timothy 
Cornelius,  John 
Coshall,  Thomas 


102 


List  of  Men 


Cowles,  Jabez 
Coy,  Ephraim 
Crumb,  Samuel 
Cunningham,  Henry — Lieut. 
Curtis,  Phineas 

Daggett,  Ebenezer — Ensign  (Died 
Nov.  20,  1781) 

Daggett,  Henry — Lieut. 

Daggett,  Naphtali,  Rev.  (Wound- 
ed at  New  Haven,' July  5  and  6, 

J779) 

Daggett,  Philip 

Dana,  James 

Daniel  (McDaniel,  Antony),  An- 
thony M. 

Danielson,  John,  Jr. — Corporal 

Darling,  Joseph 

Davenport,  John 

Davis,  James 

Davis,  John 

Dayton,  Ebenezer — Captain 

Dayton,  Giles 

Dayton,  Israel 

Dayton,  Jonathan 

Dayton,  Jonathan,  Jr. 

Dayton,  Nathaniel 

DeGrove,  John — Sergeant 

Denison,  John,  Jr. 

Dennison,  John 

Denslow,  Eli 

Denslow,  Philander  —  Corporal 
(Died  Jan.  2,  1778) 

Dickerman,  Hezekiah — 2nd  Cor- 
poral 

Dickerman,  Jesse 

Dickerman,  Jonathan 

Dickerman,  Joseph 

Dixon,  George 

Dodd,  Guy 

Dodge,  Israel 

Doolittle,  Amos 

Doolittle,  Daniel 

Doolittle,  Isaac 

Dorman,  David 

Dorman,  Joseph   (Killed  July   5, 

J779) 
Douglass,  Benjamin 


Downs,  Benjamin 
Downs,  Nathaniel 
Doyle,  Hugh 

Dummer,  Nathaniel  (Wounded  at 
New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Dummer,  Nathan,  Jr. 
Dwight,  Timothy — Chaplain 

Eagleston,  David  \  ? 

Eggleston,   David  J 

Eastman,  Peter 

Edwards,  Pierpont 

Emmit  (Ammit),  John 

English,    Benjamin  —  Captain 

(Killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5 

and  6,  1779) 
Everton,  William 

Fenton,  Jotham 

Field,  Eyria 

Fillet,  John 

Fitch,  Jonathan — Colonel 

Fitch,  Nathaniel — 5th  Comman- 
dant 

Foot,  Isaac — Sergeant 

Forbes,  Eli 

Forbes,  Elijah — Captain  (Prisoner 
at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6, 

1779) 

Forbes,  Isaac 
Forbes,  Jehiel 
Forbs,  Levi 
Ford,  Daniel 
Ford,  Ezra 
Ford,  Isaac 
Ford,  Jonathan 
Ford,  Marten 
Ford,  Matthew 
Ford,  Moses — Corporal 
Ford,  Nathaniel 
Ford,  Stephen — Captain 
Ford,  Stephen — Private 
Fox,  Jonathan 
Fraser,  Samuel 
Freedom,  Dick 
Freeman,  Abel 
Freeman,  Chatham 
Frost,  Amos 


List  of  Men 


103 


Fryar,  Charles 

Fulton,  Alexander  (Missing  Aug., 
J777) 

Gainer,  James 

Gardiner,  Thomas 

Gaylord,  Benjamin 

Gibson,  Samuel 

Gilbert,  Amos 

Gilbert,  Daniel 

Gilbert,  Ebenezer  M. 

Gilbert,  Gregson 

Gilbert,  Isaac 

Gilbert,  James 

Gilbert,  John— Captain  (Killed  at 

New  Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Gilbert,  Joseph — Corporal 
Gilbert,  Lemuel 
Gilbert,   Michael   (Killed  at  New 

Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Gilbert,  Moses — Corporal 
Gilbert,  Sackit 
Gilbertson,   Edward 
Gillet,  Benjamin 
Gillet,  Nathan 
Gillis,  John — Lieut. 
Gilner,  Henry 
Goodrich,  Elizur,  Jr.  (Wounded  at 

New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,1779) 
Goodrich,  Gideon  (Killed  at  New 

Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Goodsell,  Edward 
Goodsell,  Jacob 
Goodsell,  John 
Goodyear,  Asa 
Goodyear,  Jesse — Captain 
Goodyear,  John 
Goodyear,  Stephen 
Goodyear,  Theophilus — Corporal 
Gore,  Richard 
Gorham,  John 
Gorham  (Goralm),  Joseph 
Gorham,  Samuel 
Gorham,   Timothy    (Wounded  in 

Danbury    Raid,    April    25-28, 

1777) 

Gorman,  Joseph 
Gortsey,  John — Corporal 


Grace,  Matthew 
Grannis,  David 
Grannis,  Elle 
Grannis,  Jared 
Grannis,  Thomas 
Green,  Thomas 
Greenough,  Samuel 
Greenough,  William 
Griffing,  Rossiter 
Griswold,  White  (Missing  Oct.  4, 
*777) 

Hall,  Samuel 

Hancock,  John 

Harden  (Harding),  Frederick 

Hartley,   William 

Hatch,  Eastus 

Hayes,  Ezekiel 

Heaton,  Calvin 

Heaton,  Giles 

Heaton,  James,  Jr. 

Heaton,  Jonathan 

Heaton,  Nathaniel,  Jr. 

Heaton,  Theophilus 

Hemberston, 

Hemingway,  Abraham 
Hemingway,  Enos 
Hemingway,  Jared 
Hemingway,  John 
Hemingway,   Moses 
Hemingway,  Samuel 
Hendrick,  Coe  (Army  and  Navy) 
Herrick,   Stephen 
Hickox,  Darius 
Hicks,  John 
Hicks,  Samuel 
Hill,  Jared— Lieut. 
Hill,  John — Corporal 
Hill,  Obadiah 

Hillhouse,  James — Captain 
Hitchcock,  Amos 
Hitchcock,   Brampton 
Hitchcock,  Eliakim 
Hitchcock,  Jacob — 4th  Sergeant 
Hodge,  Philo  (Wounded) 
Holbrook,  Atwater 
Holibert,    John    (Died   Feb.    26, 
1780) 


104 


^  of  Men 


Holt,  Dan 

Holt,  Jacob 

Holt,  Samuel 

Hosmer,  Prosper 

Hotchkiss,   Amos 

Hotchkiss,  Caleb  (Killed  at  New 

Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Hotchkiss,  Eldad 
Hotchkiss,    Ezekiel —  Sergeant 

(Killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5, 

1779) 

Hotchkiss,  Isaac 
Hotchkiss,  Joel — Captain 
Hotchkiss,  John   (Killed  at  New 

Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Hotchkiss,  Jonah 
Hotchkiss,  Joseph  P. 
Hotchkiss,  Joshua 
Hotchkiss,  Lent 
Hotchkiss,  Medad 
Hotchkiss,  Stephen 
How,  Ezra — Corporal 
How,  John 
Howard,  Benjamin  (Wounded  at 

New    Haven,    July    5    and    6, 

1779) 

Howe,  Joshua 
Howell,  Nicholas — Corporal 
Howell,  Thomas — Commissary 
Hoyt,  Dyer 
Hubbard,  John,  Jr. 
Huggins,  Ebenezer 
Huggins,  James 
Hughes,   Henry  Freeman 
Hughes,  John 
Hull,  Joseph 
Hull,  Samuel 
Hulls,  Daniel 
Humaston,  Ephraim 
Humaston,  Thomas 
Humberfield,  Ebenezer 
Humeston,  James 
Hummiston,  Ebenezer 
Humphreys,   David 
Hunt,  John — Corporal 
Hunt,  Richard 
Huntington,   Asa 
Huse,  Bodwell 


Huse,  Son  of  Freeman  (Now 
(1777)  prisoner  in  Great  Brit- 
ain) 

Ingalls,  Daniel 

Ives,  Ailing  (Allen) — 26.  Ser- 
geant 

Ives,  Elam 

Ives,  Levi — Surgeon's  Mate 
Ives,   Stephen 
Ives,  Thomas 

Jack,  Andrew 

Jackson,  John 

Jacob,  Ezekiel 

Jacobs,  Abel 

Jacobs,  Ezekiel 

Jacobs,  Joseph 

Jacobs,  Solomon 

Jacobs,  Stephen 

Jacobs,  Zophar  (Died  in  service) 

Jocelin  (Joslin),  John 

Johnson,   Abraham — Corporal 

Johnson,  John 

Johnson,  Peter — Lieut. 

Johnson,  Silas 

Jones,  Timothy,  Jr. 

Jones,  William 

Jones,  William— Fife 

Jonson,  Joseph 

Jonson,  Noah 

Judson,  David 

Kennedy,   John    (Killed  at   New 

Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Keyes,  Amasa 
Kimberly,  Azel — 3rd  Lieut. 
Kimberly,  Ezra 
Kimberly,  Gideon 
Kimberly,  Nathaniel 
Kimberly,  Silas 
King,  George 

Landcraft,  George 
Landor,  Gael 
Larman,  William 
Leanard,  Eli  (Mustered  deadjune, 
1778) 


List  of  Men 


Leavenworth,  Eli — Major 

Leavenworth,  Jesse — ist  Lieut. 

Leek,  Timothy 

Lester,  Guy 

Lines,  Abel 

Lines,  Benjamin 

Lines,  Ezra 

Lines,  James 

Lines  (Lynds),  John 

Lines,  Peter 

Lines,  Ralph 

Little,  Jack 

Lockwood,  James  (Sec.  to  General 

Wooster) 
Lorain,  Richard 
Lord,  Jabesh  \  ? 
Lord,  Jabez     / 
Lounbuary,  David — Corporal 
Lounsberry,  Richard 
Luddington,  Elam 
Luddington,  Isaac 
Luddington,  Jesse 
Luddington,  Nathan 
Luddington,  Samuel 
Luddington,  Timothy   (Killed  at 

New  Haven,  July  5,  1779) 
Lumis,  Samuel 
Lyman,  Daniel 
Lyon,  William — Colonel 

McCleave,  Miles 
McCloud,  John 
McCoy,  John 

McDaniel,    Antony    (Daniel,    An- 
thony M.) 

Mallery,  Amos — Sergeant 
Mallery,  Calvin 
Mallery,  David 
Mallery,   Isaac — Corporal 
Mallory,  Asa 
Mallory,   Jacob 
Mallory,  Joseph 
Maloney,  Daniel 
Manser,  John 
Mansfield,  Amos 
Mansfield,   Charles — Fife 
Mansfield,  Dan 
Mansfield,  Dave 


Mansfield,  Ebenezer 
Mansfield,  James  Kiersted 
Mansfield,  Joseph — Captain 
Mansfield,  Richard 
Mansfield,  Samuel — Captain 
Mansfield,   Timothy   (Killed  Oct. 

14,  1781) 

Mansfield,  William 
Marsh,  Robert 
Marshall,  Samuel  B. 
Martin,  Lewis 
Martin,  Samuel 
Mason,  John 
Matthews,  Robert 
Melone  (Meloney),  Daniel 
Merriman,  James 
Merriam,  James 
Merrils,  Aaron 
Merrils,  Cyprian 
Merriman,  Marcus 
Miles,  Elnathan — Sergeant 
Miles,  John — Lieut. 
Miller,  Caleb 
Mix,   Amos   (Wounded  and  died 

May,  28,  1781) 
Mix,  Blister 
Mix,  Caleb — Captain  (Wounded  at 

New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Mix,  David 
Mix,  Eload 
Mix,  John — Captain  (Prisoner  at 

New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Mix,  Jonathan,  Jr. — Captain 
Mix,  Medad 
Mix,   Samuel 
Mix,  Thomas  (Wounded  at  New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Mix,    Timothy — Lieut.    (Died   on 

prison  ship,  New  York,  in  1778) 
Mix,  Timothy 
Molthrop,  David 
Molthrop,  Elihu — Sergeant 
Molthrop,  Reuben 
Monson,  Joseph  Kirk 
Monson,  Titus 
Morris,  Amos — Captain  (Prisoner, 

1780) 
Morris,  Amos,  Jr. 


io6 


List  of  Men 


Morris,  John 

Morrison,  Amos 

Mott,  Jarib 

Moss,   Daniel 

Moss,  John 

Moss,  Peter  (Died  Nov.  24,  1778) 

Moulthrop,  John — Captain 

Moulthrop    (Mothrop),    Joseph — 

Sergeant 

Moultrup,  Stephen 
Munson,  JEneas — Surgeon's  Mate 
Munson,  ^Eneas,  Jr. 
Munson,  Basil — Captain 
Munson,  David 
Munson,  Ezra 
Munson,  Isaac 
Munson,  Jabez 
Munson,  John 
Munson,  John,  Jr 
Munson,  Joseph — Captain 
Munson,  Nathaniel 
Munson,  Theophilus — Captain 
Munson,  Walter 
Munson,  William — Captain 
Mygatt,  Eli 

Nales,  John 
Newhall,  Joshua 
Newton,  Enoch 
Newton,    Samuel 
Northrop,  Joel 
Noyes,  Abraham 
Noyes,  William 

Oaks,  Nathaniel 

O'Briant,    John    (Died   April    22, 

1783) 

Oharra,  Timothy 

Osborn,  David 

Osborn,  Elijah 

Osborn,  Jeremiah 

Osborn,  Jonathan 

Osborn,  Samuel — Ensign 

Oswald,  Eleazer — Lieut.-Colonel 
(Prisoner  at  Quebec,   Dec.  31, 
1775,  exchanged  Jan.  10,  1777) 

Otis,  Levi 


Painter,  Elisha — Major  (Died  Jan  • 

13.  1781) 

Painter,  Lamberton 

Painter,  Shubal 

Painter,  Thomas  (Buried  in  West 
Haven) 

Pardee,  Abijah 

Pardee,  Chandler  (Wounded  and 
prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5 
and  6,  1779) 

Pardee,  Enos 

Pardee,  Isaac  (Killed  at  New  Ha- 
ven, July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Pardee,  John 

Pardee,  Joseph 

Pardee,  Levi 

Pardee,  Levit 

Pardee,  Moses 

Pardee,  Stephen 

Parker,  Edmond 

Parker,  Edward 

Parker,  Eldad  (Killed  at  New  Ha- 
ven, July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Parker,  John 

Parkes,  Edmond — Corporal 

Parmelee,  Hezekiah 

Parmelee,  Jeremiah  —  Captain 
(Died  March  24,  1778) 

Parrott,  Mastin 

Patten,  Israel — Lieut. 

Patterson,  William — Fife-Major 

Payson,  Williston 

Peck,  Augustus 

Peck,  Ebenezer 

Peck,  John — Lieut. 

Peck,  Joseph 

Peck,  Samuel 

Peck,  Titus— Lieut. 

Peck,  Ward 

Perkins,  Amos 

Perkins,  Samuel 

Perkins,  Titus 

Phipps,  Daniel  Goff 

Pierpoint,  Thomas 

Pierpont,  Lieut. 

Pierpont,  Benjamin 

Pierpont,  Evelyn — 2nd  Lieut. 

Pierpont,  Giles 


List  of  Men 


107 


Pierpont,  John 

Pierpont,  Joseph 

Pierpont,  Samuel 

Pierpont,  Thomas 

Pinto,  Abraham  (Wounded  at  New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Pinto,  Solomon — Ensign 
Pinto,  William  (Volunteer  in  1779 

and  1781) 

Pointer  or  Painter,  Deliverance 
Pomp  (A  Negro)  (Killed  at  New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Potter,  Abel 

Potter,  Amos — 2nd  Lieut. 
Potter,  David 
Potter,  Israel — Lieut. 
Potter,  Job 
Potter,  Levi 
Potter,  Medad 
Potter,  Moses 
Potter,  Stephen 
Potter,  Thomas,  Jr. 
Potter,  Timothy 
Powers,  Thomas 
Prady,  Christopher 
Prentice,  Jonas — Colonel 
Prescott,  James 
Punderson,  Ahimaz — Sergeant 
Punderson,  Daniel 

Ralph,  Jonathan 

Ramsdell,  Harthem 

Ray,  Caleb 

Ray,  Levi — 3rd  Corporal 

Reynolds,  James  (Buried  in  West 

Haven) 

Richards,  James 
Robart,  Ebenezer 
Roberts,  Eben 
Roberts,  Thomas  (Died  Dec.  20, 

1777) 

Robertson  (Robinson),  Jared — 
Lieut. 

Robertson,  Samuel — Quartermas- 
ter 

Robinson,  Samuel  —  Quartermas- 
ter and  Lieut. 

Robertson,  Thomas 


Robinson,  Thomas 

Roe,  John 

Rogers,  Sharp  (Sharper) 

Rohds,  Thomas 

Ropp,  John 

Rowe,  Ezra 

Rowe,  John 

Rowe,  Matthew 

Rowland,  Uriah  —  Quartermaster 

and  Sergeant 
Royce,     Jotham     (Died    Dec.    i, 

1781) 
Russell,  Aaron  (A  lad)  (Killed  at 

New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Russell,  Edward,  Jr. 
Russell,  Joseph 

Sabin,    Hezekiah —  Lieut.-Colonel 

(Prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July 

5  and  6,  1779) 
Sackett,  Daniel 
Sackett,  Eli 
Sage,  Francis 
Sailes  (Sales),  James 
Sales,  John 
Salmon,  Asahel 
Sanford,  Eliada 
Sanford,  Elihu — Sergeant 
Sanford,  Elihu,  2nd 
Sanford,  Henry 
Sanford,  Jairus  (Prisoner)  (Buried 

in  Fair  Haven  Cemetery) 
Sanford,  Joel  (Died  in  action,  Feb. 

8,  1782) 
Sanford,  Strong 
Sanford,  Thomas — Sergeant 
Sanford,  William 
Scott,  John — Corporal 
Shattuck,  Stephen — Sergeant 
Shepard,  Amos — Lieut. 
Shepard,  John 
Shepard,    Thomas    (Wounded    at 

Kip's    Bay,    N.    Y.,    Sept.    15, 

1776) 

Sheppard,  Samuel 
Sheppard,  Stephen 
Sherman,  Adonijah  (Prisoner  at 

New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 


io8 


List  of  Men 


Sherman,  Edmond — Sergeant 
Sherman,  Gold 

Sherman,  Isaac — Lieut. -Colonel 
Sherman,    John — Paymaster   and 

Lieut. 

Sherman,  Roger 
Sherman,  William — Major 
Shipman,  Benoni — Captain 
Shipman,  Elias 
Sill,  Jeff 

Simpson,  Robert 
Smith,  Ambrose 
Smith,  son  of  Asa  (Died  in  the 

Continental  Service) 
Smith,  Benjamin 
Smith,  Caleb 
Smith,  Daniel,  Jr. 
Smith,  Edmund  (Wounded  at  New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Smith,  Edward  (Wounded  at  New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Smith,  Jabez 
Smith,  James 

Smith,  Jeremiah — Corporal 
Smith,  Jesse — Sergeant 
Smith,  John 
Smith,  Jonathan 
Smith,  Joseph — Sergeant 
Smith,  Laban 
Smith,  Lamberton,  Jr. 
Smith,   Patterson 
Smith,  Samuel,  Jr. 
Smith,  Stephen 
Smith,  Thadieus 
Smith,  Thomas 
Smith,  Titus 
Smith,  Worham 
Spaulding,  John 
Sperry,  Army 
Sperry,  Chauncey 
Sperry,  David 
Sperry,   Ebenezer 
Sperry,  Eliakim 
Sperry,  Elihu 
Sperry,  Enoch 

Sperry,  Joel  (Died  March  13,1778) 
Sperry,  Joseph 
Sperry,  Simeon 


Squire,  Daniel 

Squire,  Samuel 

Squire,  Samuel  Stent 

Stacy, Nathaniel  (Prisoner  on  Lake 

Champlain  at  loss  of  Arnold's 

fleet — until  1779) 
Steaphens,  Aaron 
Steaphens  (Stevens),  William 
Stiles,  Ezra 

Stillwell,  Elias— Captain 
Stillwell,  John 
St.  John,  Justin 
Stockwell,  Abel 
Storer,  William 
Street,  Nicholas,  Rev. 

Strong,  Sergeant 

Sugden,  Abraham 
Sweany,  Edmond 

Tack,  Andrew 
Talmadge,  Daniel,  Jr. 
Talmadge,  Josiah 
Talmadge,  Thomas  William 
Taylor,  David — Drummer 
Teal,  Jacob  (Died  July  19,  1777) 
Terry,  Nathaniel — Colonel 
Teuky  (?)  Jared 
Tharp,  Jacob — 3rd  Sergeant 
Tharp,  Joel 
Thomas,   Caleb 
Thomas,  Ephraim 
Thomas,  James 
Thomas,  John 
Thomas,  John — Corporal 
Thomas,  Samuel 
Thompson,  Augur 
Thompson,  Elijah 
Thompson,  James 
Thompson,    Jeduthan    (Killed   at 
New    Haven,    July    5    and    6, 

1779) 

Thompson,  Joseph — Colonel 
Thompson,  Moses 
Thompson,  Samuel 
Thompson,  Stephen 
Thompson,   Thaddeus 
Thorp,  David — Corporal 
Thorp,  Moses 


List  of  Men 


109 


Thorpe,  Abner 

Thorpe,    Adam    (Killed    at    New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Thorpe,  Jacob  (Killed  on  "  Beacon 

Hill"  at  invasion  of  New  Haven, 

July  5,  1779) 
Thorpe,  Joel 
Thorpe,  Timothy 
Throop,  John  R. — Lieut. 
Tiley,  Edward — ist  Lieut. 
Tincker  (Tinker),  Amos 
Todd,  Asa  (Killed  at  New  Haven, 

July  5,  1779) 
Todd,  Ebenezer 
Todd,  Enos 

Todd,  Gideon — ist  Sergeant 
Todd,  Hezekiah 
Todd,  Jesse 

Todd,  Justus  (Died  Nov.  6,  1779) 
Todd,  Michael 
Todd,  Teal— Corporal 
Todd,  Thaddeus 
Todd,  Titus 
Todd,  Yale 
Tolles,  Clark 
Tolles,  Elnathan 
Tomlinson,    Robert 
Tophand,  Ezekiel 
Towner,  Moses  (?)  (Died  Aug.  14 

1777) 

Townsend,  Elias 

Townsend,  Isaac  (Prisoner  at  New 
Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Townsend,  John  (Prisoner  at  New 
Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Townsend,  Samuel 

Townsend,  Solomon 

Townsend,  Timothy 

Trickey,  Jared 

Trowbridge,  Caleb — Captain  (Pris- 
oner at  Battle  of  L.  I.,  Aug  27, 
1776) 

Trowbridge,  David 

Trowbridge,  John — Lieut. 

Trowbridge,  Rutherford 

Trowbridge,  Samuel 

Trumbull,  Benjamin,  Rev. — Chap- 
lain 


Trumbull,  John — Colonel  (Buried 
at  Yale  Art  School) 

Trumbull,   Joseph — Captain 

Tulley,  Christopher 

Turner,  Caleb 

Turner,  Enoch  (Wounded  at  Sara- 
toga, Sept.  19,  1777) 

Turner,  Gordain 

Tuttle,  Aaron  (Wounded  at  Sara- 
toga, Oct.  7,  1777) 

Tuttle,   Abel 

Tuttle,  Abraham 

Tuttle,  Caleb 

Tuttle,  Charles 

Tuttle,  Clement 

Tuttle,  Dan 

Tuttle,  Elisha  (Killed  at  New  Ha- 
ven, July  5,  1779) 

Tuttle,  Hezekiah — Drummer 

Tuttle,  Ithimar— Ensign 

Tuttle,  Jabez  (Missing  Oct.  4,  1777) 

Tuttle,  Japhet 

Tuttle,  Jared 

Tuttle,  Jonathan 

Tuttle,  Joseph  (Prisoner  at  New 
Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Tuttle,  Josiah  (Prisoner  at  New 
Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Tuttle,  Lemuel 

Tuttle,  Reuben — ist  Corporal 

Tuttle,  Samuel  (Prisoner  at  New 
Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 

Tuttle,  Solomon 

Tuttle,  Stephen 

Tuttle,  Titus — Sergeant 

Tuttle,  William 

Tyler,  John 

Verguson,  John 

Wakeley,  Abel 
Walter,  William 
Warner,  Amos 
Warner,  Ebenezer 
Warner,  Hezekiah 
Warren,  James 
Wate,  William 
Webster,  David 


no 


List  of  Men 


Webster,    Noah — Captain 

Webster,  Oliver 

Wheden,  Daniel 

White,  Dyer 

White,  John,  Jr. 

White,    Jonathan — Sergeant-Maj. 

White,  Samuel    (Killed    July    6, 

1781) 

White,  Samuel,  Jr. 
Whiting,  John 
Whitney, (Prisoner  at  New 

Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779) 
Wild,  Jonathan 
Wilds,  Jonathan — Lieut. 
Williams,  Hector 
Willmot,  Daniel — Sergeant 
Wilmot,  Samuel — Captain 
Wilmot,  Timothy 
Wilmot,  Walter 
Wilson,  John 

Winters,  Thomas — Corporal 
Wise,  William — Fife-Major 
Woodin,  Samuel  (Killed  at  New 

Haven,  July  5,  1779) 


Woodin,  Silas  (Killed  at  New  Ha- 
ven, July  5,  1779) 

Wooding,  Israel  (Wounded  and 
prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5 
and  6,  1779) 

Wooding,  Jeremiah 

Woods,  Elisha  (Died  Aug.  23, 
1781) 

Woods,  Justus 

Woods,  Samuel 

Woodward,  Hezekiah 

Woodward,  John,  Jr. 

Woodward,  John,  Sr. 

Woodward,  Joseph 

Woodward,  Peter — Lieut. 

Woodward,  Stephen 

Woolcott,  Benejah 

Woolcott,  Elijah 

Wooster,  David — Brig.-GeneraJ 
(Died  May  2,  1777) 

Wooster,  Thomas — Captain 

Wright,  Benjamin 

Zander,  Gad 


List  of  Men 


in 


CONNECTICUT    STATE    AND  CONTINENTAL  VESSELS 

AS  COMPLETE  AS  AVAILABLE  OFFICIAL  RECORDS 
SHOW. 


Brig-of-War  "Defence.'' 
John  McCleave — Master 


Frigate  ' '  Confederacy. ' ' 
David  Phipps — Lieut. 


Galley  "  Whiting." 

John  McCleave — Captain  Ebenezer  Peck — and  Lieut. 

Israel  Bishop — ist  Lieut.  Wm.  Plummer — Master 


Frigate  " 

Aitkins,  Robert — Seaman 
Badger,  Freeman — Barber 
Caverle,  Samuel — Tailor 
Cook,  Moses — Seaman 
Daggett,  John — Boy 
Forbes,   Elisha — Landman 
French,   Bo  wars — Landman 
Hanson,  Christian — Landman 
House,  John — Boy 
Huggins,   John 
Jeffery,  James 

Loveland,  Trueman — Landman 
Nicholson,  Will  Baird — Landman 
Oliver,  Stephen — Seaman 
Oliver,   Thomas — Landman 
Peck,  Henry — Landman 
Peterson,  Daniel — Landman  (Ne- 
gro) 


Trumbull. " 

Fresher,  William — Landman 
Sabin,    Jonathan — Midshipman 
Setchell,  Jonathan — Landman 
Smith,  Jonathan — Landman 
Sperry,   Eber — Seaman 
Sperry,  Jabin — Seaman 
Sperry,  Philo — Seaman 
Storer,  Nehemiah 
Stubbs,  John — Seaman 
Thomson,  John — Seaman 
Turner,  William — Seaman 
Upham,  Robert — Quartermaster 
Ward,  James — Seaman 
Warren,  Nathaniel — Landman 
West,  William— Seaman 
White,  Elisha — Landman 
Wise,  Samuel — Landman 


Sloop    "Tiger." 
Jones,  Daniel — Commander 


Vessel  Not  Specified. 
Goldsmith,  Ephraim — Captain 
(Killed  off  Valcour's  Island,  Oct.,  1776) 


ii2  List  of  Men 

CASUALTIES 
(SO  FAR  AS  KNOWN). 


John  Andrews ;  died  July  1 1 ,  1777. 

David  Atwater — Dr.;  killed  in  Danbury  Raid,  Apr.  25-28,  1777. 

John  Baldwin;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Reuben  Ball;  killed  or  prisoner  Oct.  n,  1780. 

Thomas  Barnes ;  died  in  service. 

Daniel  Barns;  died  March  30,  1778. 

Abraham  Bassett;  died  in  service. 

Nathan   Beers — Lieut;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Isaac  Bishop;  died  in  service. 

Aaron  Bradley — Fife;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Cuff  Capeny;  mustered  dead. 

Joshua  Carter;  died — date  unknown. 

Richard  Clark;  died  June  i,  1778. 

Ebenezer  Daggett — Ensign,  died  Nov.  20,  1781. 

Philander  Denslow — Corporal;  died  Jan.  2,  1778. 

Joseph  Dorman;  killed  July  5,  1779. 

Benjamin  English — Captain;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Alexander  Fulton;  missing  August,  1777. 

John  Gilbert — Captain;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Michael  Gilbert;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Goldsmith,  Ephraim — Captain;  killed  off  Valcour's  Island,  Oct.,  1776. 

Gideon  Goodrich;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

White  Griswold;  missing  Oct.  4,  1777. 

John  Holibert;  died  Feb.  26,  1780. 

Caleb  Hotchkiss;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Ezekiel  Hotchkiss — Sergeant;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

John  Hotchkiss;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Zophar  Jacobs;  died  in  service. 

John  Kennedy;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Eli  Leanard;  mustered  dead,  June,  1778. 

Timothy  Luddington;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 

Timothy  Mansfield;  killed  Oct.  14,  1781. 

Amos  Mix;  wounded  and  died,  May  28,  1781. 

Timothy  Mix — Lieutenant;  died  on  prison  ship,  New  York,  in  1778. 

Peter  Moss;  died  Nov.  24,  1778. 

John  O'Briant;  died  April  22,  1783. 

Elisha  Painter — Major;  died  Jan.  13,  1781. 

Isaac  Pardee;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Eldad  Parker;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Jeremiah  Parmelee — Captain;  died  March  24,  1778. 

Pomp  (A  Negro);  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Thomas  Roberts;  died  Dec.  20,  1777. 


List  of  Men  113 

Jotham  Royce;  died  Dec.  i,  1781. 

Aaron  Russell  (A  lad) ;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Joel  Sanford;  died  in  action,  Feb.  8,  1782. 

Son  of  Asa  Smith ;  died  in  the  Continental  Service. 

Joel  Sperry;  died  March  13,  1778. 

Jacob  Teal;  died  July  19,  1777. 

Jeduthan  Thompson;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Adam  Thorpe ;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Jacob  Thorpe;  killed  on  "Beacon  Hill"  at  invasion  of  New  Haven, 

July  5,  1779. 

Asa  Todd;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 
Justis  Todd;  died  Nov.  6,  1779. 
Moses  (?)  Towner;  died  Aug.  14,  1777. 
Elisha  Tuttle ;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 
Jabez  Tuttle;  missing  Oct.  4,  1777. 
Samuel  White;  killed  July  6,  1781. 
Samuel  Woodin ;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 
Silas  Woodin;  killed  at  New  Haven,  July  5,  1779. 
Elisha  Woods;  died  Aug.  23,  1781. 
David  Wooster — Brig. -Gen. ;  wounded  at  Danbury  Raid  and  died  May 

2,  1777. 

WOUNDED. 

David  Austin,  Jr.;  wounded  July  5,  and  6,  1779. 
Jeremiah  Austin;  wounded  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
John  Austin;  wounded  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Atwater  (Negro  Slave) ;  wounded  July  5  and  6,  1 779. 

James  Bassett;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Timothy  Bassett;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Aner  Bradley;  wounded  in  Danbury  Raid,  Apr.  25-28,  1777. 
Naphtali  Daggett,  Rev.;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Nathaniel  Dummer;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Elizur  Goodrich,  Jr. ;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Timothy  Gorham;  wounded  in  Danbury  Raid,  Apr.  25-28,  1777. 
Philo  Hodge;  wounded. 

Benjamin  Howard;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Caleb  Mix — Captain ;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Thomas  Mix;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Chandler  Pardee;  wounded  and  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6, 

1779. 

Abraham  Pinto;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Thomas  Shepard;  wounded  at  Kip's  Bay,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  15,  1776. 
Edmund  Smith;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Edward  Smith;  wounded  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 
Enoch  Turner;  wounded  at  Saratoga,  Sept.  19,  1777. 
Aaron  Tuttle;  wounded  at  Saratoga,  Oct.  7,  1777. 
Israel  Wooding;  wounded  and  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6, 

1779. 


ii4  List  of  Men 

PRISONERS. 

Samuel  Barney;  prisoner. 

Elijah  Bradley;  prisoner. 

Thomas  Burrell;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Elijah  Forbes — Captain;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Son  of  Freeman  Huse;  prisoner  in  Great  Britain  in  1777. 

John  Mix — Captain;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Amos  Morris;  prisoner  in  1780. 

Eleazer  Oswald — Lieut.-Col. ;  prisoner  at  Quebec,  Dec.  31,  1775;  ex- 
changed Jan.  lo,  1777. 

Chandler  Pardee;  wounded  and  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6, 
1779. 

Hezekiah  Sabin — Lieut.-Col.;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6, 
1779. 

Jairus  Sanford;  prisoner. 

Adonijah  Sherman ;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Nathaniel  Stacy ;  prisoner  from  loss  of  Arnold's  fleet  on  Lake  Champlain, 
until  1779. 

Isaac  Townsend;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

John  Townsend;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Caleb  Trowbridge — Capt. ;  prisoner  Battle  of  L.  I.,  Aug.  27,  1776. 

Joseph  Tuttle;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Josiah  Tuttle;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Samuel  Tuttle;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Whitney;  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6,  1779. 

Israel  Wooding;  wounded  and  prisoner  at  New  Haven,  July  5  and  6, 
1779. 


ROSTER 


OF 


Soldiers  and  Patriots  Whose  Graves  are 

Known  to  Be  in  New  Haven,  and 

Surrounding  Towns. 


GROVE  STREET  CEMETERY. 


Sylvan  Ave.,  Six  Graves. 

Joseph  P.  Hotchkiss,  .  . 
Ezekiel  Hayes,  .... 
Medad  Atwater,  .... 

Caleb  Hotchkiss 

Amos  Gilbert,  .... 
Nathan  Oaks,  .... 


LOT 
12 

14 

16 

18 
38 


Cypress  Ave.,  Twenty-six 
Graves. 

LOT 

Hezekiah  Sabin,    .      .      ,-  3 

Stephen  Hotchkiss,  ...  5 
Daniel  Bishop,  .  .  .  .  1 1 
John  Hotchkiss,  .  •  '....  .  n 
Joshua  Hotchkiss,  .  .  .13 

Levi  Ives, 18 

Hezekiah  Augur,  ....      21 

John  Mix, 22 

Naphtali  Daggett,  .  .  .24 
Henry  Daggett,  ....  24 
Nathan  Dummer, .  .  .  .29 

Dyer  White, 30 

Jonathan  Fitch,    .      .      .      .34 

John  Scott, 35 

Ezra  Lines, 39 

Lent  Hotchkiss 41 

Amos  Doolittle,  ....  42 
David  Phipps,  ....  44 
Joseph  Gorman,  .  .  .  .  46 
Phineas  Bradley,  ....  47 
Capt.  Robert  Brown, ...  48 
Ebenezer  Huggins,  .  .  .  52 


Ebenezer  Peck, 
Samuel  B.  Marshall, 
John  Miles, 
Augur  Thompson, 


LOT 

55 
56 
60 
62 


Maple  Ave.,  Twenty  Graves. 

LOT 

Ezra  Stiles, i 

Timothy  Dwight,  ...  2 
Pierpont  Edwards,  ...  4 
Jonathan  Mix,  ...  *  9 
Isaac  Townsend,  .  ...  14 
Aeneas  Munson,  .  .  .  .  16 
John  Spaulding,  .  .  .  .  16 
Thaddeus  Beecher,  .  ...  1 8 
Nathan  Beers,  ...  .22 
Nathan  Beers,  .  .  .  .24 
Samuel  Bishop,  .  .  .  .  29 
Roger  Sherman,  ....  32 
James  Hillhouse,  .  .  .  .  35 
Elijah  Thompson,  .  .  .36 
David  Bunce,  .  .  .  .38 

David  Wooster 40 

Deacon  Abel  Burritt,  .  .  42 
Joseph  Darling,  ....  45 
Aeneas  Monson,  ....  46 
Miles  McCleave,  ....  48 

Linden  Ave.,  Seventeen 
Graves. 

LOT 

James  Dana, 2 

Marcus  Merriman,       ...        4 


n6 


Roster 


GROVE  STREET  CEMETERY— Continued. 


Linden  Ave.,  Seventeen 
Graves — Continued. 


LOT 


James  Merriman,        .      , 

Nathaniel  Fitch,    ....  7 

Ezra  Ford 8 

William  Munson,         ,      .  9 
Timothy  Townsend,   .      .      .13 

John  Townsend,    .      .      .      .  13 

Azel  Kimberly,      ...      .  18 

Jonas  Prentice,      .      .      .      .  19 

Jabez  Smith,    .      .      .      f      .  19 

Elias  Stillwell,       ...  .      .      .  27 

Thaddeus  Ailing,  .      .      .      .  30 

James  Prescott,     .      .      .      .  31 

Thomas  Green,      .      .      .      .  37 

Isaac  Gilbert,  .      .      .      ...  50 

Jeremiah  Parmelee,    .      .      .57 

Central  Ave.,  Nineteen  Graves. 

LOT 

Eli  Mygatt,  .....  i 
Stephen  Herrick,  ....  9 
John  Davis,  ...  .  .  24 
Benjamin  English,  .  .  •  2<5 
Elijah  Forbes,  .  .  .  .  31 
William  Wise,  .  '.  .  .  32 

Joel  Northrop 35 

Abraham  Tuttle,  ....  36 
Peter  Johnson,  ....  3  7 
Timothy  Mix,  ....  40 
Timothy  Mix,  ....  40 
William  Noyes,  ....  41 
Hezekiah  Parmelee,  .  .  .41 
David  Osborn,  ....  45 
John  Trowbridge,  .  .  -47 
Luther  Collins,  ....  47 
Laban  Smith,  .  .  .  .  55 
William  Storer,  ....  66 
Samuel  Hicks 71 

Magnolia  Ave.,  Four  Graves. 

LOT 

Eli  Denslow, 14 

Joshua  Newhall,  ....  29 
Elijah  Osborn,  .  .  .  .31 
Samuel  Gorham,  .  .  .  .35 


Laurel  Ave.,  Six  Graves. 

LOT 

John  Johnson,  ....  5 
Hanover  Barney,  .  .  .  n 
Harthem  Ramsdell,  .  .  .27 
Samuel  Hull,  .  .  .  .  .  29 
Daniel  Colburn,  .  .  .  .  31 
Mastin  Parrott,  ....  45 


Locust  Ave.,  One  Grave. 


LOT 


Jabez  Brown, 18 


Cedar  Ave.,  Four  Graves. 

LOT 

David  Humphreys,  ...  5 
William  Lyon,  ....  9 
Capt.  Abraham  Bradley,  .  16 
Noah  Webster,  ....  24 


Spruce  Ave.,  Five  Graves. 

Stephen  Ailing,      .      .      , 
Ebenezer  Allen,     . 
Jonathan  Austin, 
William  Mansfield, 
John  Bulford, 


LOT 

IO 
12 
22 

13 
10 


Sycamore  Ave.,  Nine  Graves. 

LOT 

Samuel  Bassett,  ....  4 
David  Dorman,  .  .  rear  of  8 
Coe  Hendrick,  .  .  rear  of  10 
Joseph  Kirk  Monson,  rear  of  n 
Asa  Huntington,  .  .  .  .  12 
Jonathan  Osborn,  .  .  .65 

John  Peck, 65 

Caleb  Miller 74 

Thomas  Bills,         ....      76 


Holley  Ave.,  Two  Graves. 

Israel  Bishop,        .... 
Samuel  Barney,     .... 


LOT 
B 

43 


Roster  117 

GROVE  STREET  CEMETERY— Continued. 
West  Wall,  Four  Graves.  David  Judson. 

David  Atwater, 

John  Gilbert,  North  Wall,  One  Grave. 

Elijah  Austin,  Gold  Sherman. 

At  Yale  Art  School,  Col.  John  Trumbull. 

Fair  Haven  Cemetery,  Hezekiah  Tuttle,  Evelyn  Pierpont  and 
Jairus  Sanford. 

Evergreen  Cemetery,  Capt.  John  Gilbert. 

West  Haven  Cemetery,  James  Reynolds,  Jeduthan  Thompson  and 
Thomas  Painter. 

The  head  stones  and  remains  of  many  of  the  Soldiers  and  Patriots  were  removed 
from  the  New  Haven  Green  to  the  Grove  Street  Cemetery  about  1822. 

The  grave  of  Adjutant  Campbell  of  the  British  Army  is  on  Milford  Hill.  He  was 
killed  on  July  sth,  1779,  during  the  invasion  of  New  Haven. 

ANSONIA  CEMETERY. 

Samuel  Allen,  Samuel  Hull, 

Dr.  Elijah  Baldwin,  Capt.  David  Morris, 

Timothy  Baldwin,  Capt.  Isaac  Smith, 

John  Beers,  Capt.  William  Clark  Whitney, 

John  Betts,  Capt.  Henry  Whitney. 
John  Howd, 

DERBY  CEMETERY. 

Reuben  Baldwin,  Moses  Hotchkiss, 

Dr.  Silas  Baldwin,  Lieut.  (4th)  Joseph  Hull, 

Thaddeus  Baldwin,  Maj.  Elijah  Humphreys, 

Capt.  Timothy  Baldwin,  Rev.  Daniel  Humphreys, 

Amos  Bassett,  John  Humphreys, 

Benjamin  Bassett,  David  Johnson, 

Enos  Bradley,  Isaac  Johnson, 

John  Coe,  Capt.  Nathaniel  Johnson, 

John  Davis,  Joseph  Pickett, 

David  DeForest,  Capt.  Nathan  Pierson, 

Charles  French,  John  Prindle, 

Francis  French,  Capt.  Joseph  Riggs, 

Jedediah  Harger  (Harjer),  Capt.  Joseph  Riggs,  Jr., 

Samuel  Hawkins,  Samuel  Sherwood, 

David  Hitchcock,  Abraham  Smith, 

Jonathan  Hitchcock,  Capt.  Isaac  Smith, 

Moses  Hitchcock,  Josiah  Smith, 

Col.  Daniel  Holbrook,  Major  Nathan  Smith, 

Capt.  Thomas  Horsey,  Daniel  Tomlinson, 

Dea.  Eliphalet  Hotchkiss,  Capt.  John  Tomlinson, 

Levi  Hotchkiss,  Capt.  Reuben  Tucker. 

MILFORD  CEMETERY. 
John  Buckingham,  Benjamin  Gillette. 


OFFICERS  AND  MEMBERS 

OF 

GEN.  DAVID  HUMPHREYS  BRANCH,  NO.  i, 

CONNECTICUT  SOCIETY, 
SONS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION, 

SINCE  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 


The  General  David  Humphreys  Branch,  Connecticut 
Society  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  first  local  branch  formed  as  an 
auxiliary  to  a  State  Society,  and  was  organized  on  May 
22nd,  1891.  Its  officers  since  then  and  their  terms  of 
service  have  been  as  follows : 

PRESIDENTS. 

HENRY  B.  HARRISON 1891-1893 

SAMUEL  E.  MERWIN,  JR 1894-1897 

FRANKLIN  H.  HART 1898—1899  • 

GEORGE  H.  FORD 1900-1903 

WILSON  H.  LEE 1904—1905 

GEORGE  B.  MARTIN 1906-1907 

SEYMOUR  C.  LOOMIS 1908-1910 


VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

NATHAN  EASTERBROOK,  JR 1891-1893 

FRANKLIN  H.  HART 1894-1897 

CORNELIUS  S.  MOREHOUSE 1898-1899 

FRANK  C.  BUSHNELL 1900 

EVERETT  E.  LORD 1901 

WILSON  H.  LEE 1902-1903 

BENJAMIN  R.  ENGLISH 1904—1905 

SEYMOUR  C.  LOOMIS 1906-1907 

WILLIAM  S.  WELLS 1908-1910 


120  Officers  and  Members 


SECRETARIES. 

DWIGHT  E.  BOWERS 1891-1892 

GEORGE  CHADWICK  STOCK 1893 

WILLIAM  E.  CHANDLER 1894-1904 

WILLIAM  D.  SCRANTON 1905-1910 

TREASURERS. 

DWIGHT  E.  BOWERS 1891 

JOHN  C.  HOLLISTER 1892-1900 

WILLIAM  E.  CHANDLER 1901-1904 

WILLIAM  D.  SCRANTON 1905-1910 

CHAPLAINS. 

REV.  DRYDEN  W.  PHELPS 1891-1892 

REV.  EDWIN  S.  LINES 1893-1904 

REV.  DRYDEN  W.  PHELPS 1905 

REV.  EDWIN  S.  LINES 1906-1908 

REV.  ANSON  PHELPS  STOKES 1909-1910 

HISTORIANS. 

REV.  ALONZO  M.  LEWIS 1891 

ALBERT  McC.  MATHEWSON 1.892 

SAMUEL  E.  BARNEY 1893-1897 

HOWARD  C.  VIBBERT 1898-1902 

REV.  DRYDEN  W.  PHELPS 1903-1905 

CHARLES  E.  P.  SANFORD 1906-1908 

EDWARD  E.  BRADLEY 1909-1910 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEEMEN. 

WILLIAM  E.  CHANDLER 1891-1894 

EVERETT  E.  LORD 1891-1893 

L.  WHEELER  BEECHER 1891,  1894-1897 

GEORGE  R.  CHAMBERLAIN 1892—1895 

GEORGE  H.  FORD 1893-1899 

BENJAMIN  R.  ENGLISH 1895-1901 

WILSON  H.  LEE 1897-1903 

FREDERICK  S.  WARD 1899-1904 

FRANK  A.  CORBIN 1902-1905 

AMOS  F.  BARNES 1903-1906 

JOHN  N.  CHAMPION 1904-1907 

GEORGE  A.  ALLING 1905-1908 

WILLIAM  O.  PARDEE 1906-1910 

ALBERT  McC.  MATHEWSON 1907-1910 

CHARLES  E.  BURTON 1908-1910 


Officers  and  Members 


121 


MEMBERS. 


Those  whose  names  are  printed  in  italics  are  deceased. 
An  asterisk  (*)  preceding  the  name  indicates  that  the  member 
resigned. 


*ABBE,  GEORGE  E. 
ALLING,  DAVID  R. 
ALLING,  EDWARD  B. 
ALLING,  GEORGE  A. 
ALLIS,  TERENCE  S. 
*  ANDREWS,  FREDERICK  F. 
ATWATER,  EDWARD  B. 
ATWATER,  EDWARD  I. 
Atwater,  Frederick  5. 
*ATWATER,  HARRY  E. 
Atwater,  William  J. 
ATWOOD,  WILLIAM  H. 
AVERY,  EDWARD  P. 

BAKER,  ELLIS  B. 
Baldwin,  Henry 
BARLOW,  CHARLES  C. 
BARNES,  AMOS  F. 
Barnes,  T.  Atwater 
*BARNUM,  GEORGE  S. 
*BARNUM,  STARR  H. 
BASSETT,  GEORGE  J. 
Beecher,  Ebenezer  B. 
Beecher,  Edward  C. 
BEECHER,  L.  WHEELER 
*BEERS,  CARL  E. 
*BEERS,  HENRY  E. 
BIGELOW,  FRANK  L. 
BIRD,  CLINTON  H. 
Blakeslee,  Charles  H. 
BOSTWICK,  FREDERICK 
BOSTWICK,  LEONARD 
Bouton,  William  H. 
Bowers,  Dwight  E. 
BOYD,  EDWARD  E. 
BRADLEY,  EDWARD  E. 
BRADLEY,  FREDERICK  T. 
BRADLEY,  GEORGE  T. 
Bradley,  William  J. 


BRONSON,  ROBERT  A. 
BROOKER,  CHARLES  F. 
BROOKS,  ANSEL  J. 
BROOKS,  JOHN  W. 
BRUSSTAR,  BENJAMIN  F. 
Bulford,  John  H. 
*BULL,  WILLIAM  E. 
BURGESS,  GEORGE  F. 
BURTON,  CHARLES  E. 
BURTON,  GEORGE  L. 
BURTON,  GEORGE  R. 
BURTON,  Louis  R. 
BURROUGHS,  FREDERICK  C. 
*BURWELL,  ROBERT  N. 
Bushnell,  Asa  C. 
BUSHNELL,  ERICSON  F. 
BUSHNELL,  FRANK  C. 
BUSHNELL,  PHILO  A. 
BUSHNELL,  WINTHROP  G. 
BUTLER,  SYDNEY  P. 

*CAMP,  HENRY  E. 
Chamberlain,  George  R. 
Chamberlin,  James  H.  P. 
CHAMPION,  JOHN  N. 
CHANDLER,  WILLIAM  E. 
CHAPMAN,  ROBERT  W. 
CHATTERTON,  F.  JOSEPH 
*CLARK,  CLARENCE  L. 
CLARK,  EDWARD  L. 
*CLARK,  HERMAN  D. 
*COBURN,  JOHN  S. 
Coe,  Edward  T. 
Cogswell,  Frederick  H. 
CORBIN,  ALGERNON  B. 
CORBIN,  FRANK  A. 
*COWLES,  FREDERICK  L. 
CRANE,  GEORGE  W. 
*CRIPPEN,  DANIEL  W. 


122 


Officers  and  Members 


CROSS,  MORELLE  F. 
*CROUSE,  GEORGE  N. 
CUNNINGHAM,  JOSEPH  B. 

DAVIS,  RICHARD  G. 
DEMING,  Lucius  P. 
Dewell,  James  D. 
*DEWELL,  JAMES  D.,  JR., 
Dibble,  Ezra  B. 
Downes,  William  E. 

EARLE,  ARTHUR  W. 
*EASTERBROOK,  FREDERICK  J. 
EASTERBROOK,  NATHAN,  JR., 
Eaton,  Daniel  C. 
Ely,  William  H. 
ENGLISH,  BENJAMIN  R. 
English,  James  E. 
EWING,  CHESTER  W. 

FARLEE,  GEORGE  R. 
FARNSWORTH,  FREDERICK  B. 
*FARREN,  MERRITT  A. 
Farren,  Roswell  B. 
Farren,  Willis  H. 
*FERRY,  EDWIN  S. 
*FIELD,  FREDERICK  W. 
*FITCH,  NATHAN  B. 
FOOTE,  ELLSWORTH  I. 
FORD,  GEORGE  H. 
Ford,  William  E. 
Fowler,  Charles  H. 
Fox,  EDWARD  L. 
Fox,  Simeon  J. 

*GALPIN,  WILLIAM  A. 
GARDNER,  ROBERT  S. 
Gilbert,  Levi  C. 
*GILBERT,  WALTER  R. 
*GILBERT,  WILLIAM  T. 
GOUGH,  CHARLES  H. 
GREELEY,  EDWIN  S. 
GRISWOLD,  CHARLES 

HALLOCK,  EDWIN 
HARMON,  EDWARD  F. 
Harrison,  Henry  B. 


HART,  CHARLES  E. 
HART,  FRANKLIN  H. 
*HART,  WILLIAM  A. 
HAYES,  NATHANIEL  J. 
HEATON,  JOHN  EDWARD 
*HENDEE,  EDWARD  D. 
HENDRICK,  ALBERT  C. 
HEWITT,  ELISHA 
HEWITT,  HARRISON 
*HILTON,  CHARLES  H. 
HOADLEY,  CARLETON  E. 
HOLDEN,  FREDERICK  H. 
Hollister,  John  C. 
*HOLT,  ALFRED 
HOPSON,  WILLIAM  F. 
*HOSMER,  FREDERICK  A. 

HOTCHKISS,  HOBART  L. 

HOTCHKISS,  NORTON  R. 
HOWARTH,  JAMES  A. 
*HUBBARD,  GEORGE  A. 
HULL,  JOHN  A. 
*HYDE,  SAMUEL  D. 

*!NGERSOLL,  CHARLES  A. 

Jackson,  Frederick  A. 
*JEWETT,  WILLIAM  H. 
*JOHNSON,  CHARLES  F. 
JONES,  DANIEL  A. 

KENDALL,  NATHANIEL  W. 
KENNEDY,  JOHN  B. 
*KENNEY,  JOHN  W. 
*KENNEY,  WILLIAM  S. 
KEYES,  GEORGE  A. 

*KlMBERLEY,  ENOS  S. 

*LAMBERT,  WILBUR  C. 
LEE,  WILSON  H. 
Leeds,  John  H. 
LINES,  EDWIN  S. 
Lines,  John  M. 
LittUjohn,  Percy  D. 
*LOCKWOOD,  EDGAR 
LOOMIS,  SEYMOUR  C. 
LORD,  EVERETT  E. 
*LOVEJOY,  JOHN  F. 
*LYMAN,  HENRY  A. 


Officers  and  Members 


123 


MACDONALD,  THEODORE  H. 
MAGILL,  CLAUDE  A. 
MANN,  B.  HARTLEY 
MARTIN,  GEORGE  B. 
MASON,  FRANK  H. 
MATHEWSON,  A.  MCCLELLAN 
*McCnjNG,  LEE 
MCNEIL,  CHARLES  F. 
McQueen,  John  B. 
Mersick,  Charles  S. 
MERWIN,  JOHN  N. 
Merwin,  Samuel  E. 
METCALF,  WILLIAM  H. 
Miller,  Eugene  S. 
*Mix,  CHARLES  W. 
Mix,  ELI 
*Mix,  WILLIS  L. 
Monson,  Frank  A. 
MONTGOMERY,  PHELPS 
Morehouse,  Cornelius^. 
Morgan,  L.  L. 
MORGAN,  WILLIAM  E. 
Morse,  Gardner 
MOSELEY,  WILLIAM  M. 
Moses,  George  N. 
MOULTON,  EDWARD  S. 

Newcombe,  George  F. 
NEWTON,  HENRY  G. 
NICHOLS,  CHARLES  H. 
NORCROSS,  J.  ARNOLD 
NORTH,  JOHN  C. 

Osborn,  Allen  M. 
OSBORN,  ARTHUR  D. 
OSBORN,  NORRIS  G. 

PARDEE,  WILLIAM  O. 
*PARISH,  JAMES  H. 
PEASE,  SALMON  G. 
PECK,  GEORGE  W. 
Peck,  Joel  W.  S. 
PECK,  MILO  LEWIS 
Phelps,  Alfred  W. 
PHELPS,  DRYDEN  W. 
PHILLIPS,  ANDREW  W. 
PICKETT,  CHARLES  W. 
PICKETT,  EDWIN  S. 


Pickett,  Rufus  5. 
Platt,  John  H. 
Pond,  Jonathan  W. 
POND,  PHILIP 
POND,  WALTER 
PRESTON,  WILLIAM  H. 
PRINCE,  CHRISTOPHER  E. 
PRINCE,  WILLIAM  F. 
*PUNDERSON,  SAMUEL  F. 

*QUINLEY,  GURDON  W. 

*RANDALL,  HERBERT 
REMBERT,  JOHN  R. 
RITTER,  WALLACE  S. 
ROBERTSON,  A.  HEATON 
ROOT,  EDWARD  P. 
Ross,  GEORGE  C. 
RYDER,  ELY  M.  T. 

SANFORD,  CHARLES  E.  P. 
*SAVAGE,  EDWARD  J. 
SCRANTON,  CHARLES  W. 
SCRANTON,  WILLIAM  D. 
SEWARD,  FRANK 
SEWARD,  HERBERT  F. 
SEYMOUR,  GEORGE  D. 
SHELDON,  CHARLES  A. 
*SILL,  EDWIN  E. 
SIMPSON,  EARNEST  C. 
*SKIFF,  FREDERICK  W. 
SMITH,  ANDREW  H. 
SMITH,  HARRY  A. 
SMITH,  HENRY  M. 
Smith,  Samuel  M.  M. 
SNOW,  CHARLES  P. 
SNOW,  HERBERT  W. 
SNOW,  LEVI  T. 
Southworth,  Frank  A. 
Spencer,  A.  L. 
Spencer,  Francis  E. 
SPERRY,  NEHEMIAH  D. 
STANLEY,  WILLIAM  F. 
STEELE,  H.  MERRIMAN 
STETSON,  JAMES  E. 
STERRETT,  HARRY  L. 
STEVENS,  CARLETON  H. 
*STOCK,  GEORGE  C. 


124 


Officers  and  Members 


STODDARD,  FRANK  E. 
STOKES,  ANSON  PHELPS 
STREET,  FREDERICK  B. 
Strong,  Horace  H. 
SWIFT,  EDWARD  S. 

TAYLOR,  EDWARD 
THOMAS,  EDGAR 
THOMPSON,  AUGUSTUS  S. 
THOMPSON,  CLARENCE  E. 
THOMPSON,  CLARENCE  E.,  JR. 
Thompson,  E.  Foote 
Thompson,  Harry  D. 
THOMPSON,  PAUL  S. 
Thompson,  Sherwood  S. 
*TILDEN,  ROY  E.  M. 
TOWNSEND,  JOHN  W. 
TOWNSEND,  JOSEPH  H. 
TREAT,  ALBERT  B. 
TROWBRIDGE,  FRANCIS  B. 
TROWBRIDGE,  FREDERICK  L. 
TROWBRIDGE,  RUTHERFORD 


Trowbridge,  Thomas  R. 
*TRUMBULL,  WILLIAM 
TUTTLE,  WILLIAM  P. 

*VEADER,  DANIEL  H. 
VIBBERT,  HOWARD  C. 

WALKER,  CHARLES  M. 
Walker,  James 
WARD,  FREDERICK  S. 
WARNER,  HENRY  A. 
WARREN,  HERBERT  C. 
WEAVER,  E.  HARRIS 
WEED,  HARRISON  H. 
WEED,  I.  DsWirr 
WELLS,  WILLIAM  S. 
WHITNEY,  ELI 
WOODRUFF,  ARTHUR  E. 
WOODRUFF,  ROLLIN  S. 
*WRIGHT,  WILLIAM  A. 

YEOMANS,  CHARLES  S. 
YORK,  SAMUEL  A. 


•* 

I 

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THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  DATE  stamped  below. 


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50m-12,'70(Pl251s8)2373-3A,l 


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